Prefabricated houses to be donated by Taiwan

Prefabricated houses to be donated by Taiwan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The International Buddhism Organization of Taiwan will donate
1,000 prefabricated houses for flood victims living along
riverbanks whose houses were badly damaged during three weeks of
flooding in late January and early February.

"The organization will provide the houses for free. They have
conducted a similar project in Nepal," said Governor Sutiyoso on
Tuesday at City Hall after meeting executives of the
organization.

The city will provide the land while the organization will
build the houses, each measuring 36 square meters. Each house,
made of fiberglass, will have three bedrooms and a bathroom.

Although the organization is providing the houses for free,
the administration plans to rent them at low rates to people
living along the Ciliwung riverbank.

Sutiyoso said construction of the houses would begin within
three months after the administration provided the land.

"If this project is a success, the organization has promised
to build another 3,000 houses next year," he said.

Besides building the houses, city spokesman Muhayat said the
organization, which will cooperate with a local Buddhist group
here, also plans to build a hospital.

"We (the city administration) will provide the land for them,"
he said.

Contrary to the governor's statement, Muhayat said the houses
would be used as shelters for street children due to limited land
for houses.

"Most probably, the houses will serve as shelters for street
children. As for the flood victims and people living along
riverbanks, we'll build low-cost apartments," he said, adding
that the land would not otherwise be enough to accommodate 50,000
people.