Marginalised/Dalit communities constitute the majority of Dhungentar’s residents, and their economic insecurity is highlighted by dependence on subsistence agriculture and traditional, low-earning occupations. The income-earning population is largely composed of men, and a sizeable segment of the community has migrated abroad (mostly to the Middle East) for employment.

Given Dhungentar’s socioeconomic vulnerabilities, this pilot demonstration project focused its rehabilitation activities on improving livelihoods and laying the foundation for the establishment of local enterprises capable of uplifting the entire settlement. Particular emphasis was placed on organising training programmes on income-generating skills, mobilising the untapped women workforce, and building sustainable local enterprises that offer employment. This can help reverse the current migration trend, drawing Dhungentar locals back from Qatar to Battar.

Given the need for cost-effective, disaster-resilient construction materials and the lack of skilled manpower in Dhungentar, establishing a local production site for interlocking compressed stabilised soil blocks (CSSBs) was appropriate. (Click here to learn more about the CSSB technology and its suitability for reconstruction in Dhungentar.)

Six machines were procured from Habitech Center, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand—developers of this interlocking technology—and a local production site was set up. With technical support from Innovative Design Concern (INDECO), a five-day training programme (followed by an 11-day supervision phase) was organized for 22 local participants (3 male, 19 female) from all cluster villages of Dhungentar. This launched the reconstruction activities in the settlement and initiated local participation in the project’s development activities.

The participants were instructed on production procedures and trained regarding machine operation and maintenance. By the end of this training programme, this trained local workforce produced 4,695 CSSBs for local construction and continued production for five months. They were also involved in the construction of two full-scale model houses in Dhungentar. (Click here to learn more about the integrated environment-friendly system installed in one of these model houses.)

However, these trainees were unable to continue this production for a sustained period because of social restraints and the short-term nature of the work. Masons from other districts then took over production and construction activities. The project plans to create a local cooperative and hand over ownership of this block production site. The enterprise will be supported initially to establish market linkages, and this cooperative can then organise production and offer stable employment opportunities to locals.

By training and mobilising locals in the production and construction processes, this project not only reduced costs for households but also presented the community with an enterprise that can generate employment opportunities.