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WB funds homes made of straw for rural poor people
The World Bank has selected from more than 6,000 proposals worldwide a project in Vietnam that will promote the use of paddy straw to build houses.
The bank has funded 200,000 USD for the project, which aims to not only provide local farmers with low-cost housing but also reduce air and water pollution from the burning of straw in rural areas.
At least 55 model houses will be built during the first phase and farmers’ opinions about the design of the houses will also be solicited.
Nguyen Minh Quyen, deputy director of Ben Thanh Tourist Company and manager of the programme, said the material would be heatproof and cold-resistant.
Quyen said these houses would be built in line with European standards and construction time would be shortened to within a week. All of the houses, which will vary in size an style, will be certified by government agencies.
Housing costs will be only 25 percent of concrete houses. A 40sq.m house made of straw composite would cost and average 40 million VND (2,400 USD).
Quyen said he has worked with Vinh Long provincial authorities and Vinh Sang Company to build a factory to process the materials for the houses.
Farmers can sell their straw to the housing company and purchase houses on an instalment plan.
The building project, which will provide thousands of jobs, will also help reduce the logging of timber in rural areas.
VNA
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