Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR

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Cultural activities. The natural terracing of the
land provided areas that were ideal for an openair
theater and other cultural, educational and leisure
activities. Space was even found for the flying
pole (Palo Volador) 2 used for special community
events. Further, a Tz’utujil regional museum was
built to strengthen cultural identity and use as a
tourist attraction.
Services. The resettlement area included wastewater
drains and a natural wastewater treatment
plant, along with a well and pipes leading to each
house.
Road infrastructure. The project included
three access roads to the main road, as well as
streets inside the settlement area.
Risk management. Possible hazards in the resettlement
area were identified and mapped, with
community participation, and a risk-management
plan was designed.
17. Budget
Because the disaster had not been anticipated, the national
budget lacked the funds needed for a project of
this nature. Thus, the budgeting and financing mechanism
depended heavily on contributions from various
sources.
The total for the reconstruction project for the 19 municipalities
in Sololá was US$92.7 million, including
US$10.7 million for the municipality of Santiago Atitlán.
Table 6.3 provides a breakdown of the costs by
activity. The government was able to fund US$3.56
million of the total and asked the international community
to contribute the rest in funds and activities
through UNDP. In the end, the government received
contributions from the Spanish International Cooperation
Agency for Development (Agencia Española de
Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo, AECID),
Andalusian Cooperation Agency (Agencia Andaluza
de Cooperación Internacional al Desarrollo, AACID),
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
(SIDA) and UNDP. The delay in the initial funding
slowed the project implementation.
Table 6.3. Budget for the Santiago Atitlán Reconstruction
Plan
Item
18. Resettlement Schedule
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Phase I, or Chuk Muk I, took 12 months and was
completed by the end of 2007
Chuk Muk 2 took 18 months and was completed
in 2008.
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Chuk Muk 3 was finished in 2009
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Phase 4 began in February 2008 and was expected
to last 30 months.
19. Allocation and Titling
of Houses
According to the community organizational structures
and patterns, the three principal community leaders assigned
the houses to families. Legal titles were provided
for the land and houses under the category of “family
property,” which meant they belonged not to the head of
the household but to the family as a whole. One condition
was that the house could not be sold for 18 years.
20. Technical Training and
Income Generation
Cost In Us$
Human Settlements 4,296,988
Safe Water 86,800
Environmental Sanitation 1,235,920
Social Infrastructure 1,787,470
Roads 1,187,200
Risk Reduction 287,630
Health And Social Welfare 1,456,056
Economic Reactivation 301,000
Citizen Participation 18,122
Total 10,657,186
Source: SEGEPLAN. Reconstruction and Risk Reduction Plan for the department
of Sololá. Based on the 2006-2007 Sustainable Development Plan.
A key feature of the national reconstruction program
was the economic and productive revitalization of the
affected communities, to be achieved with support from
2
The Palo Volador is one of the most spectacular Guatemalan dances is in which men climb a 100 foot wooden pole, tie themselves to a rope
attached to the top and wrapped around their body, and jump, spinning to the ground.
102 Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster: Experiences from Latin America