Tehran, January 15, 2006 - Two years on from a devastating earthquake that ruined most of the ancient Silk Road city of Bam, killing over 30,000 people and damaging or destroying some 42,000 houses, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) continues to work with the Government to promote a community-based, cost-effective and earthquake-resilient housing approach that can be easily replicated in the country’s earthquake-prone areas. As part of an ongoing project, UNDP, in partnership with CRATerre-EAG, a French-based international construction research centre, has provided training and capacity building workshops for building workers on earthquake resilient construction. In addition to training 400 local building workers in 2004, UNDP recently completed targeted training of 20 selected skilled local masons/building workers in Bam on necessary skills for building quake-resilient houses.
In the "Engineering Services and Exhibition Site" in Bam, several small model buildings, built by the trainees, demonstrate various features of earthquake resilient construction. Also recently built in the site are modular model buildings that demonstrate an environment-friendly, cost-effective and locally appropriate shelter model. The trainers now feel confident to transfer their acquired knowledge and skills to other masons in Bam and elsewhere in the country. To start with, the Government is considering commissioning selected workers trained in Bam to train a group of masonry workers in the recently quake-hit Persian Gulf Island of Qeshm. The success of the UNDP-backed trainings has encouraged the Government to replicate them in other quake-prone areas of the country as well. UNDP remains committed to continuing to work closely with the government, local and provincial authorities, as well as affected communities, to provide technical assistance for the Bam reconstruction programme through supporting capacity building and training programmes for both reconstruction managers and communities.