IOM has built a public park on the site of a huge, earthquake
rubble dump in the Makri area of Muzaffarabad, the capital of
Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The site was previously used to dump thousands of tonnes of
debris from houses, shops and public buildings destroyed by October
2005 earthquake. IOM, with funding from the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID), last year moved at least 9
million cubic feet of rubble from the city to the site. 

The park, which covers an area of 40,000 square feet and was
also funded by USAID, includes a children's playground, a jogging
track and a picnic area. Lights, benches and dustbins will be
installed in the coming days. The project also includes huge
retaining walls bordering the picturesque Jhelum River and an
underground drainage system.

"We are proud to contribute to the beauty of Muzaffarabad and to
provide residents with a recreation area. This is a place where
people will be able to have a good time and move on from the
traumas of the past," said Hassan Abdel Moneim Mostafa, IOM
Regional Representative for West and Central Asia.

"The park will not only be a monument to the massive
contribution made by the international community to help people
affected by the earthquake, but also a fitting memorial to those
who lost their lives," said Zahid Amin, Chairman of the Development
Authority of Muzaffarabad.

Makri residents also welcomed the scheme, describing it as a
tremendous contribution towards the prosperity of the area. "It is
a great step which has added value to our property," said housewife
Rehana Nazir.

IOM's rubble removal project provided jobs for hundreds of
people following the earthquake and reopened large sections of the
city, facilitating a return to normality and allowing people to
restart their businesses.

For further information, please contact:

Saleem Rehmat

IOM Islamabad

Tel: +92.3008565967

E-mail: "mailto:srehmat@iom.int">srehmat@iom.int