3.2. Building Material Sourcing

Building materials; all building materials for these reconstructions were locally available building materials, contractor bought the building materials from outside, entirely designed by the NGO without any involvement of the people.

In this chunk, we learn that during the reconstruction efforts after the earthquake, the building materials used were mostly locally available. However, the contractors also brought in materials from outside, indicating a mix of sourcing strategies. Importantly, the reconstruction process was spearheaded by a non-governmental organization (NGO) which designed the entire project without involving local people in the planning or decision-making processes.

Imagine if a town was hit by a severe storm and needed to rebuild its school. The government might decide to hire an out-of-town contractor to build the school. This contractor, while having access to local materials, could also use supplies from far away. If the local residents had no say in the design or materials, they might feel disconnected from the final building, much like what happened in this situation.

It took 1 year 2 months to finish this project, women participations was not there and cost was Rs.1 lakh in case of 40 square meter dwelling unit and Rs. 80,000 in case of 30 square meter houses.

This chunk provides insight into the timeline and costs associated with the reconstruction project. The entire process took one year and two months to complete, which indicates a significant investment of time. The chunk also highlights that there was no participation from women in the project, which limits the diversity of perspectives and inputs. Furthermore, the costs for building these houses were specified, with a 40-square meter unit costing 1 lakh rupees and a 30-square meter unit costing 80,000 rupees.

Think of planning a family vacation. If the family decides to go through a travel agency instead of planning themselves, it may take a long time to finalize the itinerary. For instance, spending about a year and two months planning. If they end up spending more money than they anticipated on hotels, similar to the high cost of houses here, they might feel frustrated, especially if their ideas about where to go or what to do were not considered.

There was no training program, allocation of financial assistance given to the NGO directly and decision makings; villages were not involved into the decision-making process.

This chunk points out a significant shortcoming in the approach taken for the reconstruction. There was no training offered to locals, which would have empowered them with skills for the rebuilding process. Financial assistance was given straight to the NGO, bypassing any input from the affected villagers. As a result, the people who lived in those villages had no say in how the reconstruction was executed. This lack of involvement often leads to projects that are not well-received and may not meet the community's needs.

Imagine a group of friends planning a surprise party for one of them. If one person makes all the decisions without consulting anyone else, such as where to have the party, what food to serve, and who to invite, the party may not go as planned. The guest of honor might not enjoy the cuisine or venue, similar to the villagers not accepting the reconstructed homes because they had no input on the design.

No utilisations of local resources designed by the NGO, no training program, NGO decide every aspect; very weak organizational setup and absence of ownership right, people refuse this one.

In this chunk, the consequences of poor planning and lack of community involvement are summarized. The result was a lack of utilization of local resources, which might have made the project more sustainable. The absence of training and decision-making by the NGO created a weak organizational structure, leading to a feeling of disownership among the villagers. Consequently, people refused the completed project, resulting in unoccupied houses and a failure of the reconstruction efforts.

Consider a classroom where the teacher decides to rearrange the seating arrangements without asking students for input. If the new seating doesn't suit the students or if they feel excluded from the decision, many may choose not to sit in their assigned spots, similar to villagers refusing to use the new homes that did not represent their needs or desires.

As a result, this project was very high cost and took some time but it was most way that socially not accepted, it was rejected by the villages and the project did not help to enhance people's awareness and the houses are poorly maintained.

In this chunk, the overall impact of the aforementioned failures is discussed. Despite the significant costs and time invested in the project, it was socially rejected by the villagers. The failure to enhance community awareness or involvement meant that the houses were not maintained properly. This neglect has led to an increase in vulnerability for the inhabitants, as they are living in substandard conditions without the support or trust that a good community relationship would provide.

Think of a community garden project where the city builds plots for residents to grow vegetables, but they don't ask the residents what types of plants they want or how they want their garden set up. If the gardens are not to the residents’ liking, the plots could become overgrown and neglected. This is akin to the villagers rejecting the houses because they felt they didn’t belong to them.

--