MANILA — A lawmaker from this city has suggested an innovative solution to fire hazards among informal settlers’ communities, a “containerized” housing program that will replace shanties that are oftentimes made of highly combustible materials.
“The usual solution is for disaster relief agencies and institutions to give the fire victims cash or supplies to rebuild, but the victims’ housing conditions do not improve because they would again be using light materials, have faulty electrical, water, and sewerage connections. So in the end, the fire victims’ communities remain fire hazards and disaster zones in the making,” Rep. Joel R. Chua of the Third District of Manila explained.
“One solution I see is for easy-to-assemble “containerized” housing to be deployed to the fire disaster site after proper clearing operations are done. Containerized housing would be needed for hundreds of fire victim families. Building them would take only several days,” Rep. Chua added.
Dozens of residences made of light materials were razed to the ground by fire several days ago, leaving over a thousand residents homeless in Sta. Cruz, Manila area.
“The old solutions have to be replaced with new and better ones. LRT operations at the Oroquieta Station were badly affected, so that adds a reason for a much better solution—the containerized housing solution—to be deployed at the disaster site,” Chua said.
“I hope the containerized housing solution can be implemented. I do not know yet how and where the containerized housing units will come from, but I pray they will. The disaster site has to be cleared first and made safe. Detailed and verified inventory of the evacuees-residents has to be done,” Chua also said. (ai/mtvn)
