Temporary housing being set up for victims

More than 6,700 makeshift houses will be erected for Beijing residents whose homes were destroyed in the floods on July 21, marking the start of reconstruction efforts.

"Some families will live in the temporary houses for at least three years, the standard time it takes to construct new permanent houses," said Zhang Nongke, an official from the capital's commission of housing and urban-rural development. Residents whose homes can be repaired will live in the makeshift dwellings for three months at most, the city government said, adding that it is making every effort to guarantee reconstruction is finished by the end of October.

The construction of 6,783 temporary houses began on Thursday at 59 sites that have passed safety inspections by experts in Fangshan district. Fangshan suffered a heavier loss than other districts in Beijing due to its large mountainous areas, where 38 people died.

The construction of the temporary houses is expected to be finished before Aug 5.

A villager carries a sleeping board retrieved from his damaged home to a tent on Saturday in Fangshan district in Beijing. Wan Xiang / Xinhua

"Major parts of these makeshift houses have been made in factories in advance, so they can be set up quickly at the site," said Chen Lu, from Beijing Urban Construction Group, one of the two construction companies working on the project. "This construction is going day and night. Another 2,000 workers will arrive on Monday, ensuring it can be finished as scheduled.

"Though they will be used temporarily, the building standard is quite strict. For example, the makeshift houses where people can live for three years can stand for at least 30 years," he said.

In Chengguan sub-district in Fangshan, 1,000 temporary houses for 500 families are under construction.

"First, we allocate them to 419 families whose homes were destroyed," said Li Zhi, an official from the sub-district office, adding that the latest rainfall on Friday damaged five more houses. "The number of families needing the units may increase in the future, because more rain may come in August."

Yang Qingli, a resident of Beicheying village, has been living with her mother in a tent for the past week. She said the lack of electricity made the tent hot and dark, but her mother does not want to move into the makeshift houses because they are too far from their former home.

However, other residents who are not qualified to live in the temporary housing, would be happy to move into the new houses.

"It's very convenient, with a clean environment, electricity and clean drinking water," Yu Xiangju, 62, another resident from the village, said when cleaning up the thick mud in her house.

The government and the construction companies said who will cover the cost of the houses will be decided after the temporary housing program is finished.

Measures to restore normality to life in this district, such as making sure the drinking water safe and preventing the spread of disease, have already been conducted.

Nine emergency response teams from Beijing Health Inspection have been established in Fangshan to check the drinking water over 10 days. Forty water-purifying units have been sent to the district to guarantee the safety of drinking water.

To prevent the spread of disease, 19 ambulances, two sterilizing vehicles and one vehicle for microbial tests have been operating on the streets of the district.

Contact the writers at zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn and wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn