The so-called Salvation Government (SG) active in the province of Idlib, launched a project that allows displaced Syrians in the region to subscribe for apartments in housing units to be built near the border areas with Turkey. The project allows internally-displaced people (IDPs) to leave the camps into proper housing units.

The project, announced by the SG on September 21, aims to build these housing units in the areas of Kalbait, al-Bardakli, Mashhad Ruhin in the northern Idlib countryside.  

The director of technical services at the Ministry of Local Administration and  Services in the SG, Qutaiba al-Khalaf, said that the project will allow for the construction of housing units within state-owned lands in the border areas. “In order to accommodate the displaced in proper housing units instead of living in tents that do not protect them from the extreme heat of summer or the harsh cold of winter,” he added.  

Al-Khalaf told Enab Baladi that the project has several other goals including, “providing work opportunities, reducing unemployment, and ensuring  decent life for all. Moreover, another goal of the project is to demonstrate the skills of the technical and administrative cadres in the liberated areas and their ability to manage the regions using their capabilities and expertise”.

During the initial phase of the project, 104 residential blocks will be constructed. These will include 1248 apartments, shops, vital and administrative centers and parks, according to al-Khalaf.

The project will start with site selection and delimiting the property, as well as conducting topographic surveys. Then comes the architectural design phase and determining the size and number of apartments in each block. Finally, the project will produce the necessary structural and water-related designs before beginning the implementation stage.

Subscribers will get a deed, affirming that the housing unit is allocated to them. Once the preparation is finished the the apartments will be divided amongs the subscribers. The final stage will be when the subscribers pay the full construction cost and receive the ownership deed from the real-estate directorate. The prices for the apartments have not yet been set, according to al-Khalaf. 

The beneficiaries of the first phase of the projected will be 1248 families. “Because of the high demand, work is currently underway on a nearby site of approximately 250 dunams to launch the second phase of the project,” al-Khalaf said.

Construction and specifications 

The housing project, according to the its technical description,  is open to IDPs in all areas in Idlib area, and will be located in the regions of Kalbait, al-Bardakli, Mashhad Ruhinin in the northern Idlib countryside, near the Turkish border. 

The proposed model is a level building in the form of housing units. Each floor will have has four apartments of three rooms and utilities. The area of each apartment in the Model 1 is up to 82 square meters (sq m) , while the area in Model 2 reaches 77.5 sq m.

The executing entity  will be contracted to build the foundations, pillars, and columns. The entity will also pour  the ceilings of the building, stairs with concrete and maintain the roof at a height of about 90cm. The exterior walls will be built and reinforced with a 15 cm thick band of concrete. The interior walls are constructed with thickness of 10 cm. Moreover, the entity ensures that all apartments will have access to electricity, water, and sanitation.

The SG, in its announcement, called on all IDPs wishing to subscribe to go to the local councils operating in their places of residency. There they have to fill the free application form of the government’s subscription.