FLOOD RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PROGRAM IN LEH

Project Location:
Palam, Leh

Funding Agencies:
LEDeG and HFH

Project Partner:
Habitat for Humanity (HFH), India and SEEDS

Total Budget:
75,65,455 Rs.

Duration:
2-year (2011-12)

Context
Ladakh experienced massive flash floods on 5 August 2010 because of sudden cloudbursts and extreme rainfalls. The new settlements in Choglamsar were the worst hit in terms of loss of human life and damages to the houses. The government declared 248 people dead and 76 missing. More than 1400 hectares of agriculture land and 1200 houses were reported damaged in the flood and the loss estimated at 204 crore rupees ($50 million). This was the worst natural disaster ever in the region.
Even though LEDeG has no experience of working on disaster and rehabilitation, the magnitude of the misfortune was too high for us to keep ourselves out of it and hence we jumped into the immediate relief activities.

Activities

• LEDeG has mobilised money from its own resources to steer the groundwork for “core house shelters” and a “house prototype” showcasing the technology through a model at its Rural Building Centre in Choglamsar.
• In collaboration with SEEDS and Habitat for Humanity, LEDeG has come up with a shelter strategy which outlines our approach to reconstruction in Leh and surrounding villages. SEEDS-LEDeG team worked towards the construction of a prototype house at the LEDeG Rural Building Centre in Choglamsar.

Concrete outcomes

• Rehabilitation of 24 families from Spituk at Palam Thang in Leh with HFH.
• Reconstruction of 3 houses in Shey, 3 houses in Solar Colony, 2 in Domkhar and 2 in Photoksar and 1 in Murtse Colony.