five years old of the earthquake of September 19, 2017 which shook Mexico City, the authorities of the capital believe that the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the damaged buildings will be fully completed in early 2024while affected individuals and organizations demand that the process be accelerated and that all sectors be supported.
The owner of reconstruction commission of CDMX, Jabnely Maldonadopoints out in an interview that approximately 22 thousand households were damaged by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake. Among them, he explains, 13 thousand they have already been rehabilitated and delivered, 6 thousand are under construction Yes work is about to begin on the other 3,000.
According to the official, 7.5 billion pesos were used in this process, out of an estimated total cost of 12 billion pesos, and the authorities treated some 100,000 affected people.
“We believe that in the first two months of 2023, all the rehabilitated and rebuilt houses with their various service borders will be completed,” he says.
“In the case of buildings, I pointed out that they have even longer and more complex project preparation processes, because everything we rehabilitate and rebuild is verified by the Institute for Construction Safety. They require a much longer reconstruction or rehabilitation process. We believe that buildings, because some are large, will be postponed to the first months of 2024“, To add.
To read: Exercises of justice: four years after #19S
The Commissioner recognizes that one of the challenges that the Agency will have to meet in order to carry out its work and meet its deadlines is to meet the possible increase in the price of materials, due to the war between Russia and Ukraine and global inflation. As a concrete example, he mentions steel.
“Especially this part which has also been a situation that, just as we don’t expect the pandemic, we also don’t expect, derived from the international conflict, derived from the pandemic itself, from everything that is happening in the world, the rise of steel. Obviously, this part is fundamental in the sense that it is an external factor that is not under control,” he explains.
Other factors such as COVID-19 itself have affected the work of the commission – causing infections among those affected – but the work it leads has not stopped since 2020, the official explains.
Affected people demand greater speed
Maldonado is the second head of the Commission for Reconstruction in Claudia Sheinbaum’s six-year tenure. He took office in July 2021 after César Cravioto left the agency to become an alternate senator for the capital’s government secretary, Martí Batres.
Before taking the lead in reconstruction tasks, Maldonado was already working in this task as Director of Disaster Assistance.
Now, five years after the earthquake that shook CDMX and other entities in the center and south of the country —Guerrero, Oaxaca, Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala and State of Mexico-, the inhabitants of the capital who have been affected and who are still not receiving their goods are demanding greater speed in the work, supported by civil organizations.
This Sunday, the Ruta Cívica organization and other groups organized a commemorative act in which they estimated that around 40% of the houses are awaiting delivery and demanded Regulatory Changes That Prevent Greater Real Estate Growth Without Safe Construction.
The organization Victims United plans to demonstrate this Monday to demand attention to the damaged sidewalks and public spaces in the office of the mayor of Tláhuac, as well as to convene the discussion “How are we the victims 5 years after 19S? “.
It may interest you: Three years after 19S: “We will never stop thanking the anonymous rescuers”
What we do at Animal Politico requires professional journalists, teamwork, maintaining a dialogue with readers and something very important: independence. You can help us to continue. Be part of the team. Subscribe to Political Animal, receive benefits and support free journalism.
#YoSoyAnimal
CDMX’s position: the Reconstruction Commission expects to complete the work in early 2024; the affected request to expedite the process first appeared in Political Animal.