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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Zofeen T Ebrahim in Wasram

‘This will not be swept away’: the bamboo homes helping Pakistan’s post-flood rebuild

A resident with her flood-resistant hut in Tando Allahyar district in Sindh, Pakistan. The huts, called chauhras, are made from bamboo and cost 25,000 rupees (£70) to build.
A resident with her flood-resistant hut in Tando Allahyar district in Sindh, Pakistan. The huts, called chauhras, are made from bamboo and cost 25,000 rupees (£70) to build. Photograph: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images

A year ago, Shani Dana’s mudbrick house was swept away in the worst floods on record to hit Pakistan. More than 1,700 people were killed and 900,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Sindh province, where Dana lives, was the worst affected.

While waiting for government money to rebuild her home in Wasram village, in the Tando Allahyar district, word reached Dana that the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan (HFP), founded by a renowned architect, Yasmeen Lari, was building one-room homes in neighbouring Pono village.

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