Housing Lessons Post-2022 Afghanistan Earthquake

Over the last three decades, there has been a notable surge in the occurrence of disasters, leading to a significant toll on human lives, property, and financial resources (CRED, Disasters in Numbers, CRED, 2022). The housing sector, in particular, bears the brunt of these disasters, with over 50% of property damages in nearly all disaster cases being concentrated in this sector, thereby making housing losses the costliest aspect of recovery (Comerio, Disaster Hits Home: New Policy for Urban Housing Recovery, The Regents of the University of California, 1998). Despite the significant impact of disasters on the housing sector and substantial investments required to recover lost housing infrastructure, a significant challenge persists: the absence of systematic, independent assessments of housing recovery initiatives undertaken following a catastrophe. These evaluations are essential for capturing invaluable lessons and vital insights, particularly from the viewpoints of affected households receiving aid. Such endeavors are crucial for fostering a comprehensive understanding of the efficacy of post-disaster housing recovery efforts, thereby also aiding decision-making in the formulation of housing recovery strategies in the wake of a disaster. On June 22, 2022, a devastating earthquake measuring Mw 5.94 struck the south-eastern region of Afghanistan, resulting in the tragic loss of more than 1,000 lives and causing substantial destruction to the housing infrastructure, leaving approximately 362,000 people in need of urgent humanitarian aid. Several humanitarian agencies responded to the earthquake by providing shelter assistance, which encompassed the repair and rebuilding of houses that had been damaged or destroyed by the seismic event. In the aftermath of the earthquake, a survey was conducted to assess housing typologies and earthquake damage, aimed to comprehend vernacular building practices prevalent in the disaster-impacted region and offer technical guidance on housing reconstruction strategies. Ultimately, two distinct approaches to housing reconstruction were formulated and implemented. The first approach involved rebuilding houses utilizing traditional vernacular construction methods, with the incorporation of seismic resilience measures. In contrast, the second approach adopted a non-vernacular strategy, employing a prototype housing design constructed using concrete. A household-level survey was conducted when approximately 80% of the designated houses for reconstruction had either been completed or were in progress. The aim was to gather perspectives from affected households regarding their newly reconstructed homes and to assess conditions at the housing sites. The survey utilized a set of key metrics deemed essential for facilitating successful post-disaster housing recovery. These metrics spanned five pivotal domains: technical, social, environmental, economic, and project planning and management factors. This chapter presents the findings derived from the surveys conducted in Afghanistan. It first offers an analysis of the housing construction typologies prevalent in the earthquake-affected region, along with common patterns of earthquake damage. Subsequently, key results of the household-level survey are discussed that illuminate the efficacy of both housing reconstruction strategies—the vernacular and non-vernacular approaches—that were implemented. Finally, it extracts and discusses universal or broadly applicable lessons for post-disaster housing recovery.