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العربية
The neighborhoods of Deir Ezzor city, especially the old ones, are witnessing an individual reconstruction movement carried out by the residents themselves, in an attempt to return to their homes that were destroyed by military operations during the past years, to escape the high rental costs that have become a great burden on families in light of the current economic conditions.
In Al-Hwaika , one of the worst-hit neighborhoods, several heads of households inspect their destroyed homes and begin removing rubble and restoring cracked walls using available materials. A resident stands trying to rebuild one room for his family, carrying some simple construction tools, and has drawn up a plan to complete part of his house in preparation for moving in with his family before winter’s advent.
These individual initiatives come in the absence of large-scale official reconstruction programs, and the high costs of renting houses in the least affected neighborhoods, which has prompted many families to gradually return to their destroyed homes and rehabilitate them with the simplest means, despite the absence of basic infrastructure in some areas.
These self-efforts, in which residents rely on intermittent assistance from relatives or their simple savings, are primarily aimed at securing stable housing that restores some stability to families who have spent years displaced or renting homes at high rents.
It is noteworthy that the Al-Hwaika neighborhood is one of the historical neighborhoods in Deir Ezzor. It was subjected to great destruction during the military operations, and most of its residents still live in alternative or rented housing, waiting for their homes to be completely rehabilitated. However, the slow pace of official reconstruction is gradually pushing them to return on their own under the effect of need and high housing costs.
