Reconstruction work begins in Yemen's Aden

Contracts have been signed with local companies, and repair work is poised to begin in three districts as part of the project's first phase.

By Abu Bakr al-Yamani in Sanaa

2017-08-10

Yemenis walk down a street in the southern city of Aden in this file photo from November 29th, 2010. Reconstruction work is set to begin this week to restore houses and squares damaged in the current conflict. [Karim Sahib/AFP]

Reconstruction work to repair houses and public squares in Aden province damaged in the war with the Houthis (Ansarallah) and their allies will officially begin on Saturday (August 12th), a local official told Al-Mashareq.

"Supervisory teams of the Public Works Office in Aden province will on Saturday hand over sites to the executing companies," Aden's undersecretary for projects Ghassan al-Zamki told Al-Mashareq.

"The handover of sites means the launch of actual reconstruction as per the $2.5 million grant agreement with the Arab Fund [for Economic Development], and this includes 50% of the value of loan," he said.

Aden governor Abdul Aziz al-Meflehi signed the contracts to begin work with local companies on August 6th, in the presence of the ministers of planning and international co-operation and public works and roads.

Yemeni fishermen moor their boat in Aden after fishing off the coast on November 14th, 2016. Reconstruction work is set to begin in Aden this week, as normal life begins to return to the port city. [Saleh al-Obeidi/AFP]

In the first phase of the project, al-Tawahi, Sira and al-Mualla districts will be reconstructed at a cost of 5.8 billion Yemeni riyals ($23.2 million).

Work will begin in al-Tawahi

Work will begin in al-Tawahi district, on houses and public squares that sustained damages in the conflict, al-Zamki said.

Reconstruction work in al-Tawahi alone is expected to cost 2.3 billion Yemeni riyals ($9.2 million), according to local media reports.

The work will be carried out in three stages, and includes about 12,000 houses in all districts at a total cost of 20.75 billion Yemeni riyals ($83 million).

"The contracts signed by the Aden governor with the executing companies cover, as a part of the first stage, the reconstruction of 311 houses and the demolition and re-building of 31 houses in al-Tawahi district," al-Zamki said.

The remaining tenders for the completion of the first stage, which includes houses in al-Mualla and Sira districts, will be launched within the next two weeks, and will continue through the end of 2017, he added.

"The reconstruction of other districts will be completed in 2018," he said.