Habitat considers it as yet another feather in its cap that it has been chosen to execute the Aster Homes project for the flood-hit communities across the state, which has been launched by Aster D M Healthcare, a leading health care services provider in India and the GCC region, in association with Rotary Club.

The project, which took off in December 2018, aims at building disaster-resistant houses that can withstand future calamities and thus will not render their residents homeless.

“We have a three-layered construction plan. There will be new structures for those who have lost their houses fully in the floods. Then, there will be cluster homes for group of people if the government can provide suitable land. Lastly, we will undertake retro-fitting of partially damaged houses,” said Aster DM Healthcare Chairman Dr Azad Moopen.

The houses will be built using locally available construction materials.

The project has already got under way in the districts of Ernakulam, Wayanad, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Kozhikode.

Under the project, there will be 25 houses each in Ernakulam, Wayanad and Alappuzha. In Kottayam and Pathanamthitta, there will be 10 and 5 houses, respectively. In Kochi, there will be three clusters consisting of 35, 10 and eight houses each. A cluster of 20 houses will be built in Wayanad. In Kozhikode, there will be six new houses, including one in Koilandy, and three in Malappuram.

The first completed cluster, comprising 10 houses, will be handed over to the beneficiaries on April 24 at Kunnukara in Ernakulam district.