Prefabricated Temporary Housing for Earthquake Evacuees

The first report to be issued by the operations rooms put in place in Syria’s earthquake-stricken governorates, issued on March 14, 2023, confirmed the existence of a medium-term approach to address the housing issue for those affected by the February 6 disaster. This approach involves installing prefabricated housing units to accommodate and host the affected families. It appears that there is a governmental directive to fund these units solely through international or regional donors, such as Iraq, the UAE and China.

Due to the lack of clarity and precise data about this approach, it can be concluded from the information published about it in the official media, that it falls under the second medium-term phase of the national action plan to deal with the aftermath of the earthquake, which was announced by the Council of Ministers on February 25 and approved on April 25.

In these projects, there is a variance in designations and terminologies; from shelter units to temporary housing, or pre-fabricated or alternative housing. In determining the characteristics of this type of housing, this article will use the name: temporary prefabricated housing units for earthquake victims. In all cases, official statements on the subject vary, and contradictions appear in the numbers of these units, their areas, the areas of the zones allocated for them. It is worth noting that the governorates of Aleppo and Lattakia have specified sites for the construction of these homes, while regional and international entities have taken on the task of building the units. A single site can include contributions from more than one grantor.

Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces

Prime Minister Hussein Arnous inspected a site in Jabrin area east of Aleppo city, during his visit to Aleppo on June 10, designated for the establishment of 332 temporary prefabricated housing units for earthquake victims. The project is being implemented by the Iraqi Relief Mobilisation, a civil arm of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, a militia composed of armed Iraqi Shiite factions loyal to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The operations room for the Aleppo governorate adopted a plan in March, the details of which were not revealed, to construct temporary prefabricated housing units for those affected by the earthquake, on a 50-hectare area in Jabrin, located near Aleppo International Airport and surrounded by the Sheikh Najjar industrial city and the Aleppo train station. Jabrin was incorporated into the administrative boundaries of Aleppo city in 1996. In 2017, a shelter centre and camps for displaced people were established there.

Aleppo Governor Hussein Diab stated to the media during a visit to the Iraqi Relief Mobilisation project in Jabrin, on April 9, that the installation of the temporary housing units represents a new stage on the road to recovery and a significant point in transitioning from collective shelters. Aleppo governorate has taken responsibility for levelling and preparing the land and carrying out infrastructure works.

On April 15, the state-run SANA news agency announced that technical work crews from the Iraqi Relief Mobilisation initiative, in cooperation with the Aleppo governorate, completed 100 prefabricated units in Jabrin. A member of the executive office in the governorate council said that the governorate of Aleppo has allocated a 13-hectare area in Jabrin to the Iraqi Mobilisation Relief initiative.

The coordinator of the Iraqi initiative, Ghaleb Al-Husseini, told SANA, on April 15 that the project aims to set eventually 500 housing units, 100 of which have been completed and are ready for delivery. Each unit covers an area of 36 square metres, consisting of two bedrooms and a salon, equipped with a solar panel. The units are constructed with iron as the main material used in manufacturing. The units also include sound and thermal insulation materials. These units will be equipped with necessary household furniture for family life, and each one can accommodate six to eight people. Husseini indicated that the first phase of the project is expected to be completed within two months, including the delivery of 300 units.

China

In late May, the Minister of Local Administration and Environment Hussein Makhlouf, along with the Chinese ambassador to Syria, Xi Hongoi, signed a document to receive prefabricated units, donated by the Chinese people for the earthquake victims. The Syrian minister stated that the units would be distributed equally between the governorates of Aleppo and Lattakia. These units are part of a plan for medium-term housing centres, and they can be used as mobile clinics or classrooms, depending on the needs of the schools, or as temporary kitchens for shelter centres, among other uses.

The director of the cargo transport regulation office in Aleppo governorate told the Athr Press website on April 20 that a convoy of 13 trucks transported 25 containers containing 100 prefabricated units from a Chinese ship that arrived at Lattakia port to the Jabrin area in Aleppo. The remaining homes are expected to arrive on other ships.

The Lattakia governorate received its share of prefabricated units from China as reported by Al-Watan newspaper, on April 10. An executive office member in Lattakia governorate explained that the donation, which arrived on the ship Lady Mia, included 228 housing units inside 57 containers. These were handed over to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) for distribution to the locations and areas designated by the governorate for the setting of temporary housing for those affected by the earthquake.

The executive office member added that those who will benefit from these units are the earthquake victims whose homes were destroyed and lost in the quake, or those whose homes were damaged and are at risk of collapse. This is according to a specific mechanism that includes the actual victims. The official did not clarify what this specific mechanism is, but he explained that each housing unit consists of one room and its facilities, with an area ranging between 40-50 square metres.

United Arab Emirates

In a press conference held in Lattakia on April 17, the head of the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent delegation, Mohammed Al-Kaibi, said that the UAE would construct 1,000 prefabricated housing units for those affected by the earthquake in Lattakia governorate. During the inauguration of the first prefabricated housing unit in Lattakia city’s Al-Gharraf neighbourhood on April 6, Kaibi stated that the purpose of these units is to ease pressure on shelter centres. He added that these would act as temporary shelter centres, comprising 1,000 housing units distributed over seven areas.

The Lattakia governorate earmarked seven sites for the establishment of prefabricated housing projects, as follows: three sites in Lattakia city – two in Al-Gharraf neighbourhood and one in Damsarkho. In the Jableh area, three sites were identified in the neighbourhoods of Al-Naka, Al-Fawar and Al-Faid, and one site was identified in Astamo in the Qardaha area.

The Relief Operations Room in the Lattakia governorate indicated that work would begin at Al-Gharraf. Each housing unit measures 42 square metres and follows a standard design. The Relief Operations Room added that coordination is ongoing with international organisations for the funding of temporary streets, pavements, public lighting and medical points for these projects. Meanwhile, the Governor of Lattakia projected that the completion period would be between six and eight months, including the provision of infrastructure such as water and electricity networks and sewage systems at the sites.

During a meeting with the directors of service and construction agencies in the governorate on April 16, the Lattakia governor stressed the need to expedite the implementation of infrastructure at the sites set aside for the Emirati housing units. He highlighted the necessity for regular monitoring of all the sites and speedy implementation of services and infrastructure, which would help in reducing the delivery time of the completed housing units.

The semi-official newspaper Al-Watan reported on May 9 that the mayor of Qammin, which includes the Astamo village, stated that the UAE project had temporarily halted due to the lack of suitable public land within the Qammin municipality’s jurisdiction. Therefore, the municipality suggested leasing a land for a period of 40 years with automatic renewal, which was rejected by the Ministry of Local Administration. The Ministry insisted on buying a piece of land at an appropriate price and establishing temporary housing units on it. As Al-Watan reported later, the Ministry’s insistence on purchasing the land was due to its desire to ensure the project’s future stability, serving the affected and the administrative unit in general. Indeed, on May 18, the Lattakia governorate council approved Qammin municipality’s request, granting it a donation of SYP 210 million to buy a piece of land to establish temporary homes for those affected by the earthquake in Astamo, with the UAE Red Crescent as the implementing party. 

On May 9, the official SANA news agency reported that the Lattakia governorate had begun legal procedures to transfer the land ownership in Astamo, prior to its preparation and commencement of construction work. The land, measuring 10 dunums and capable of accommodating 85 prefabricated housing units, is expected to have a completed housing project within eight months.