Pakistan's assessment work of the damage caused by the massive earthquake on Oct. 8 will be finalized by Nov. 15, the country's chief for earthquake reconstruction said here Thursday.

Lt. General Muhammad Zubair, chairman of the Pakistan Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), told reporters the Asian Development Bank and the National Engineering Services of Pakistan are busy with this task and the ERRA will finalize its planning for the first phase of reconstruction after receiving assessment reports of relevant agencies.

Top priority in the first phase of reconstruction will be building houses, schools, hospitals and infrastructure to bring normal life back to the affected areas, the chairman noted.

The ERRA has contacted consultants at home and abroad for quick construction of homes in damaged areas, Zubair said, adding it is also collecting information about the Australian and American technologies to construct light structure houses which will be earthquake resistant with light weight roofs and a changed structure providing cozy atmosphere inside.

Responding to a question, Zubair said debris of the devastated buildings will not be removed and the material will be used in new construction.

According to him, the United Arab Emirates has promised to construct a 200-bed hospital in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan- controlled Kashmir, one of the areas hit hardest by the Oct. 8 quake of 7.8 magnitude.

He said the hospital will be completed within next four months, and the army has cleared 16,000 square feet for its construction and work on it will be launched within next 10 days.

Source: Xinhua