By Xinhua,
Yangon : The Myanmar government is planning permanent houses for homeless storm victims in two cyclone-hard-hit regions, assigning some 18 private companies and bankers to implement the special project, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Tuesday.
The project involves some 4,000 permanent houses to be built in Bogalay, Phyapon, Dedaye and Laputta in Ayeyawaddy division.
The builder companies include Htoo, CB Bank, the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI),Asia World, Yuzana, Zaykaba and Tet Lan, the report said.
Meanwhile, Myanmar is also reclaiming land plots in the cyclone-hit areas to build up to 100,000 other low-cost provisional housings for homeless storm victims, the local weekly Voice reported earlier.
These low-cost housings at 500,000 Kyats (450 U.S. dollars) each will be constructed free of charge for the survived villagers in Ayeyawaddy delta region’s Laputta, Bogalay, Dedaye and Phyapon.
A total of 30 private companies have been assigned by the government’s National Disaster Preparedness Central Committee to undertake reconstruction work in 17 disaster-affected areas.
Farmers in cyclone-hard-hit areas such as Bogalay, Laputta, Ngaputtaw, Mawlamyinegyun and Dedaye in the Ayeyawaddy delta and Kungyangon in Yangon division have reportedly started ploughing monsoon paddy after paddy strains and draught-cattle-substitute powered tillers were provided to the local farmers.
Meanwhile, a Japan Platform Foundation will also help build 2,500 to 3,000 houses for Myanmar cyclone victims in the two divisions and the project will be implemented with the cooperation of the UMFCCI, earlier reports also said.
Myanmar has announced that the first phase of the country’s post-disaster restoration work — rescue and relief, has finished up to a certain extent and it has now entered into a second phase of resettlement and reconstruction.
Deadly tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states — Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago,Mon and Kayin on last May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructural damage.
Myanmar estimated the damages and losses caused by the storm at10.67 billion U.S. dollars with 5.5 million people affected.
The storm has killed 84,537 people, leaving 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured according to the latest official death toll.