Cement Net Report: Syria's Reconstruction Dilemma -- The Double Attack of High-priced Building Materials and People's Livelihood Crisis

Syria, countless families are facing the difficult choice of rebuilding their homes. In al-Mohammad's case, after the fall of the old regime, he stood in front of the ruins of destroyed houses, trying to calculate the materials needed to rebuild, but was shocked by the extent of the destruction in front of him: cracked walls, no power lines, destroyed roofs, and looted iron.

After some calculations, al-Mohammad found that he had to sell a piece of land to raise funds for reconstruction. In the market environment of soaring prices, he chose to rebuild his house step by step, save labor costs, and buy some materials when he had money, hoping to eventually get rid of the dilemma of paying rent every month. Prices of

building materials soar: The road to reconstruction is difficult

. Since the earthquake in southern Turkey and four Syrian provinces in February 2023, the prices of building materials in northern Syria have continued to rise. The earthquake damaged a large number of houses and caused a surge in demand for reconstruction, which was further exacerbated by the subsequent fall of the Syrian regime on December 8, 2024. Kamal al-Din Shawy,

an engineer, pointed out that after the regime change, the price of steel rose from $610 to $670 per ton, and the price of cement rose by $20 per ton to $123. In addition, the price of gravel, sand and other materials has risen by 20%, the price of water tanks has risen from $6 to $7, and the price of building bricks has soared by 25%. The

interim Damascus government has unified transit fees on the grounds of supporting industry and attracting investment, but this measure has failed to effectively alleviate the shortage of building materials. Hama Cement Plant "No.3" was restarted on February 23, 2025 after shutdown, with a daily capacity of 1700 tons of clinker and plans to reach 2500 tons in the future. Nevertheless, its production capacity is still difficult to meet market demand, and its price is higher than that of imported cement.

High cost and labor cost: The

high cost of reconstruction has frustrated the enthusiasm of many residents. Omar, a resident of Saraqib, said rebuilding his three-room house with a garden, not including renovations, could cost $6,000, a huge sum for most displaced people returning home.

At the same time, reconstruction has pushed up labor wages. Abdullah al-Asaad, a construction worker, said wages had risen from a maximum of $4 a day to $7 to $12. Still, for many workers, the increase is justified because work is harder, travel is difficult and market prices are rising.

More than 90% of Syrian households live below poverty threshold, and at least 13 million people, more than half of the population, face food insecurity. Against this backdrop, Syrians face the difficulty of returning to destroyed towns and villages, while widespread sanctions have negatively affected reconstruction efforts. It is estimated that Syria needs more than $250 billion to rebuild the country, including infrastructure, basic services and economic recovery. On the road of reconstruction in

Syria, the problems of sky-high building materials, high labor costs and humanitarian crisis are intertwined, forming a series of insurmountable obstacles. The support and cooperation of the international community is of great significance for alleviating the plight of the Syrian people and promoting the reconstruction process.