Some 457,000 houses to be built in quake zone: Minister

Nearly 457,000 permanent houses will be built in 11 cities affected by the Feb. 6 earthquakes, with the construction of about 300,000 of them to conclude in a year, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Mehmet Özhaseki has said.

"Our permanent houses are rising rapidly in 11 provinces jolted by the quake disaster. The ministry will offer new formulas regarding these residences to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the next cabinet meeting. When those formulas come into play, we will finish the houses in a much shorter time," the newly-appointed minister said in a social media post on June 11.

Noting that approximately 300,000 out of the planned 457,000 housing units will be completed within a year, Özhaseki emphasized that Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, and Adıyaman will be the provinces with the highest number of housing constructions.

These four provinces were the most severely affected by the earthquakes on Feb. 6.

Özhaseki also stressed that the construction of village houses for quake survivors in rural areas is progressing rapidly.

"Fourteen million people have been affected by this disaster. Around 100 districts and nearly 1,000 villages received severe destruction, according to the latest figure. Some 680,000 houses have been demolished. Additionally, 170,000 workplaces, warehouses, barns, and single-story village houses have been destroyed. The total financial loss amounts to approximately $100 billion," he explained.

He also said that his ministry is working for the resettlement of quake survivors currently living in tent and container cities into their new houses as soon as possible.