CAIRO: The governorate of Aswan seized the 100-acre piece of land it had previously donated to Egyptian architect Mamdouh Hamza to build 880 homes for flood victims in Egypt s southern governorate, according to a statement released by Hamza s office Thursday. The governorate also seized control of the bank account where millions of pounds were donated by the government, celebrities and companies from around the Arab world in February through a campaign by TV presenter Amr Adib on his popular daily show "Al-Qahira Al-Youm . Last January, flash floods and heavy rain left 10 dead in Sinai and southern Egypt. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, mainly in the city of Aswan and the North Sinai town of Al-Arish. As part of the grassroots initiative, Hamza had offered to design the houses free of charge. On April 4, the governor [of Aswan] met with contractors and announced that the project will continue under its supervision and that it will consult architects from the ministry of housing, the statement read. It also claimed ownership over the sum of money collected through donations, the statement continued, adding that in doing so the government is discouraging similar initiatives from civil society in future crises. Initially, the money was intended for a civil entity not for the government. The governorate claims that Hamza s designs had irregularities, according to the statement. On March 25, Hamza received two police reports ordering the construction team to halt all work, citing the lack of building permit. Our priority was to speed up the process to build a shelter for the homeless victims, regarding the permit as a routine procedure that will not affect our work, he said in the statement. Meanwhile, Hamza insisted that he had presented the sketches and additional required documents to the governor on Feb. 4. He added that workers continued to work to crown the efforts of all those who donated money and in-kinds to the campaign. Despite threats of going to jail, the workers continued to build. Twenty-nine units are completed while 62 others are currently under construction, the statement continued. In February, after a trip to Aswan, Hamza estimated that each house will cost approximately LE 30,000 and will be built on a 250-meter block, of which 65 meters will be allocated for the actual building. It will take approximately three weeks to build a house and the entire project is scheduled to be completed in three to four months. The government was heavily criticized for its inability to deal with the aftermath of the natural disaster, prompting angry reactions from those affected and igniting efforts from civil society. Hamza said he will be revealing more details about his statement in a press conference at the Journalists Syndicate on Saturday, April 10.
