Construction work on one of the new townships, in the earthquake-hit Zinda Jan district in Herat, has been completed and affected families have been moved in.Thirty-three houses were built at a cost of about 24 million afghanis & paid for by the General Intelligence Directorate.For victims of the earthquake, who mostly all live in tents, life is extremely difficult as winter has set in.

Herat authorities say the new township also includes a mosque and a potable water supply.Officials have said construction work is underway on other townships in the quake-affected province.

The projects are being rolled out across ten villages in Zinda Jan, Injil, Keshk, Rabat Sangi and Gulran districts of Herat.The first to be completed is in Qala Nook village of Zinda Jan and families are being settled as quickly as possible.One earthquake survivor, who lost his house and all his belongings, is Mohammad Halim, who said his family is living in a tent.

&The air is very cold under these tents because these tents are made of plastic and it gets damp, and during the night our children suffer from cold, and now that these houses have been built for us, we will spend the winter with our families in the house and we will be able to protect our children in the houses,& he said.According to the Herat Earthquake Victims Commission, construction of about 2,620 houses is currently underway in more than ten earthquake-affected villages.

Officials have said they are trying to finish the houses as quickly as possible.The post First township in earthquake-hit Herat completed and handed over to survivors first appeared on Ariana News.