The head of Iran’s Insurance Institute has said that public awareness and demand for high-quality and safe housing should be increased, adding that residents should be aware of the risks of accidents and disasters.
Speaking at a media briefing, Mr Ali Safari pointed to the risk of catastrophes, both natural and man-made. Natural disasters include the 12 November earthquake which killed more than 500 people, while man-made disasters included last year’s fire incidents at Plasco Building and at Bu Ali Sina petrochemical complex, as well as the 2016 Semnan-to-Mashhad train crash.
He said that it is therefore necessary to address the issue of risk and management and control, reported Mehr News Agency. The fire at the iconic high-rise Plasco Building was caused by unauthorised and non-standard electrical wiring.
He said that the public does not know enough about the risk of accidents/disasters and does not accord priority to it.
According to Mr Safari, there is a need to raise the community’s demand for high-quality and safe housing and infrastructure and structures.
Disaster insurance fund
With the loss of more than 500 lives and millions of dollars in damages in the 12 November destructive quake that shook Kermanshah and other western regions of the country, the establishment of a natural disaster insurance fund is in the pipeline.
A Bill is currently in the Parliament to establish such a fund. But the Guardians Council had sent the Bill back to lawmakers for revision, according to Mr Mohammad Reza Pour-Ebrahimi, Head of the Majlis Economic Commission.
“We have all declared this an issue of utmost importance and if the government agrees to accept the financial burden of establishing this fund, we are ready to pass this Bill,” he said.
The earthquake led to the collapse of a government-built low-cost housing project in Kermanshah, an initiative designed in 2007. M