New Grants for Quake-Hit Kermanshah

EghtesadOnline: The government will grant 10 billion rials ($238,095) to those who suffered spinal cord injuries during the earthquake of western Iranian Kermanshah Province, the head of Management and Planning Organization of the province said on Wednesday.

News ID: ۷۸۲۸۳۲

03 June 2018

Families who lost a member in the quake will receive 31 billion rials ($738,095)—50 million rials ($1,190) for each family member—and a total of 150 billion rials ($3.57 million) will be paid on construction licenses for new homes.

The grants will be provided through the Iranian Red Crescent Society in a month.

Iranians donated 640 billion rials ($15.23 million) to relief efforts by IRCS in Kermanshah, according to Financial Tribune.

Out of 12,386 people who sustained injuries during the quake, 118 were paralyzed.

The government has promised to allocate 53.25 trillion rials ($1.26 billion) to the quake-stricken areas of Kermanshah, IRNA reported.

Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei approved the allocation of $200 million from the National Development Fund of Iran to distressed areas affected by the earthquake a few weeks after the disaster.

Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said during an open session of parliament in December that the lack of fund to rebuild the affected areas compelled them to seek the Leader’s permission to withdraw funds from NDFI, which preserves a specific share of oil and gas revenues for future use.

Iran’s insurance industry has so far paid out about 1.1 trillion rials ($24.55 million) in claims resulting from the earthquake, the head of the Central Insurance of Iran said in March.

“Based on the latest estimates, the commitments of insurance companies in paying damages caused by the earthquake have crossed the threshold of 2 trillion rials ($44.65 million),” Abdolnasser Hemmati was also quoted as saying.

The CII chief also said the remaining sum includes coverage offered to banks, companies and other organizations that will be reimbursed in the future.

According to Hemmati, more than 50% of all such commitments belong to Alborz Insurance Company, some of which will be cleared through reinsurance.

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocked the western province of Kermanshah and the regions bordering Iraq on Nov. 12, killing over 500 people and injuring thousands of others.

Some 800 people have become unemployed following the earthquake, while the natural disaster caused the indirect unemployment of 1,500 people, the head of Industries, Mining and Trade Organization of Kermanshah Province said a few days after the disaster.

“Damage caused to industrial facilities is likely to reach 300 billion rials ($7.5 million) while only a small fraction of these factories had earthquake insurance,” Nematollah Haqiqi was also quoted as saying.

Noting that damage to 77 industrial units of the province ranges from 10-100%, the official said 40 units have been damaged in Sarpol-Zahab County, the region hit hardest by the earthquake.

According to Haqiqi, the quake inflicted losses estimated at around 8 trillion rials ($200 million) on the agriculture sector of Kermanshah Province.

“Damage caused to livestock farms, fodder barns and agricultural processing industries accounts for 3 trillion rials ($75 million) of the total amount,” he said.

“More than 3.3 trillion rials ($82.5 million) in damage were inflicted on water and soil infrastructures, including pumping stations, water wells and irrigation pools.”

Noting that the estimated damage to fisheries stands at 170 billion rials ($4.25 million), Haqiqi said the loss of livestock includes 197,000 head of light livestock worth 1,400 billion rials ($35 million), 3,800 head of heavy livestock worth 160 billion rials ($4 million), 10,000 honeybee colonies worth 30 billion rials ($750,000) and 115,000 chickens worth 12 billion rials (300,000).

To restore the quake-stricken historical heritage sites in Kermanshah, a budget of 235 billion rials ($5.2 million) have been allocated by the government. Some of the province’s monuments have been damaged by the quake, compelling heritage authorities to implement restoration measures.

Taq Bostan, Kermanshah Bazaar, Bisotun and Temple of Anahita have been prioritized. Elaborating on the share of each heritage site, Jalil Balaei, the head of the provincial office of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, said Taq Bostan needs 90 billion rials ($2 million), Kermanshah Bazaar and Bisotun need 60 billion rials ($1.3 million) each and the Temple of Anahita requires 20 billion rials ($440,000) for their complete restoration.

Kermanshah shares 371 kilometers of borders with Iraq. The province has six official and active border markets, and accounts for half of Iran’s non-oil exports to the western neighbor.