SPAPEV completes 4,000 houses for quake-hit people

[Naveed Yaseen]

Saudi Public Assistance for Pakistan Earthquake Victims (SPAPEV), an organisation working under the supervision of Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, has completed construction of 4,000 pre-fabricated houses, seven basic health units (BHUs) and many girls and boys schools in the NWFP and Azad Kashmir areas battered by October 8, 2005 earthquake.

This was stated by SPAPEV Regional Director Dr Khalid M Al-Othmani in a statement issued here on Wednesday.

Al-Othmani said soon after the October 8, 2005 earthquake ravaged Azad Kashmir and parts of NWFP, custodian of two holy mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud had announced an emergency aid package valuing millions of dollars for the relief and rehabilitation of the people of the calamity-hit region.

The SPAPEV official said his organisation had so far completed 4000 pre-fabricated houses in Balakot at the cost of $18.5 million to settle the displaced families, while another big housing project of this kind worth $22 million was fast nearing completion in Bagh and Muzaffarabad. He further said a project of seven BHUs at Muzaffarabad and Abbottabad was in the final stage of completion and its cost was around $2 million.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=205698