UN seeks $31.3 million for 90-day post-quake rehabilitation in Iran

The United Nations today asked donors for $31.3 million to meet the three-month relief and rehabilitation needs of the tens of thousands of people in Bam, Iran, who were affected by the powerful earthquake which rocked the area last month.

The flash appeal was launched in Bam by the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland, who lauded the quick response of the Iranian Government and the Iranian Red Crescent Society to the needs created by the disaster and "the impressive international solidarity that had been displayed" in its immediate aftermath.

Of the 115,000 people who had been living in the worst-hit area, the earthquake killed more than 30,000 and injured another 30,000. The destruction of an estimated 85 percent of the mud-brick buildings has left 75,000 people homeless and levelled such prized historical structures as the world's largest mud-brick edifice, a 2,000-year-old citadel.

The greatest share of the funds sought - $6.4 million - will go to health and nutrition. With all three major hospitals damaged or destroyed, the money would be used to support the work of Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education in the area.

Some $6 million would go towards accelerating the area's economic recovery and rehabilitating its infrastructure, including farming. Another $5.7 million would provide latrines and rehabilitate wells, while $2.6 million would pay for the removal of tons of rubble, provide temporary shelter and prepare for the construction of disaster-resistant buildings.

About $4 million would go towards continuing the education of local children, despite the crumbling of Bam's 131 schools, and $3.7 million would pay for protection programmes, including mental health care for traumatized children.

The remaining funds would pay for the assessment of damage to and the safeguarding of Bam's important historical sites.

The UN bid for funds was launched in coordination with a complementary appeal from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.