ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: A review meeting of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) was informed on Thursday that an amount of over Rs55 billion had been disbursed for the housing sector in the quake-hit areas.

The period of crisis was over and life had almost returned to normal across the entire 30,000 square kilometres of the affected areas, the meeting was told.

Updating the ambassadors and heads of the partner organisations on the progress, Erra chairman Altaf M. Saleem said the reconstruction process had reached a point where affected areas would be transformed into modern hubs of socio-economic activities in the region.

He said that health, education, communications, water, sanitation and other facilities were functional, while facilities were being provided speedily under the vision of “Build Back Better”.

Erra’s deputy chairman Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed said that all the people (hundred per cent) now had a housing solution. He said the housing strategy largely helped in documentation of local economy, seismically-resistant construction culture, increased capacity-building through training programmes, improved standard of living -- from mud-houses to proper houses, increased community participation through village reconstruction committees.

The deputy chairman said that in rural housing sector, an amount of Rs 53.59 billion had been disbursed among over 576,000 people whose houses had been damaged. In urban housing, disbursement of Rs 2.06 billion to over 25,000 people had been made.

He said that the livelihood programme had not only enabled to resolve any food security issue in the entire earthquake-affected area but also promoted optimum use of agricultural land, cultivation of value-added products, instead of conventional crops, and use of better seeds and fertiliser.

He said that Rs 5.346 billion had been disbursed among 268,000 families at the rate of Rs3,000 per month for six months and to most vulnerable families for one year.

In education sector, Lt-Gen Nadeem said that out of 5344 damaged units, 125 had been completed, 773 were under construction and 1110 were under tendering, while 2075 were under various stages of planning.

In health sector, out of 307 damaged facilities, 183 were being planned, 32 had been completed and 59 others were under construction.

He said the road network was being improved as three national highways, 46 roads and 29 bridges were under construction at an estimated cost of Rs7.5 billion. He said that the construction of 175 kilometres of damaged highway was under way at a cost of nearly Rs6 billion this year.

According to the revised plan, over Rs29 billion has been envisaged to reconstruct 2,393 kilometres of roads.

About the water supply projects, the deputy chairman said that out of 4080 damaged schemes, 1128 had already been completed at a cost of Rs 0.385 billion, 717 schemes were under construction, 119 under tendering stage and 1316 under designing.

In the power sector, Rs 1.55 billion is being spent on infrastructure.

In telecom sector, infrastruture restoration and reconstruction were under way at a cost of Rs 630 million.

Rs 1.03 billion is being spent on a comprehensive environment recovery plan including debris removal, water shed management, agro-forestry, slope stabilisation and awareness creation among the masses.

He said a social protection programme had been launched which included compensation for the landless at a cost of Rs 3 billion, establishment of legal aid centres at a cost of Rs30 million and medical rehabilitation for the disabled at a cost of Rs742 million.