The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa convened an international partners’ dialogue to seek collaboration on the early recovery frameworks for areas affected by the October earthquake and flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. The framework was developed with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and presented at a workshop hosted by the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and UNDP.
The frameworks were presented by Mr Amer Afaq, the Director General of PDMA’s Provincial Reconstruction, Rehabilitation & Settlement Authority. The chief guest was Mr Pervez Khattak, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Mr Neil Buhne, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said, “I am pleased to join this event today on the importance of early recovery frameworks for the vulnerable communities and areas affected by the floods and earthquake in Pakistan. We are already seeing the effects of climate change across Pakistan as natural disasters grow more frequent and intense. The United Nation in Pakistan continues to work with the government and development partners to build resilience to shocks and develop the capacities of the communities and institutions to adapt to extreme weather events. Taking a developmental approach, this workshop is useful in mitigating risks and harnessing new opportunities for the vulnerable communities in Pakistan. ”
Mr Marc-André Franche, UNDP Country Director said, “Adaptation to climate change is critical for sustainable development. The damages from the floods and the earthquake this year were considerable and people are now in a dire situation as their houses and livelihoods have been severely affected. UNDP is rebuilding critical infrastructure benefiting 5000 families with the support of the Government of Japan. The needs are tremendous as visible in the assessment conducted by the KP Government with the support of UNDP, FAO, SRSP and other partners. We are hoping that through the dialogue today, we can engage in a substantive conversation for greater support from the international community.”
During the summer of 2015, mountainous regions of Chitral district, KP province were severely affected by flooding caused by torrential rain and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). These killed 36 people and caused severe damage to infrastructure. Before the area had begun to fully recover, it was badly hit by an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, which caused severe damage across seven districts of KP, including Chitral. In Chitral, over 19,000 homes were damaged.
Following the July flooding, PDMA developed a flood recovery needs assessment and action framework with technical assistance from UNDP. A sectoral analysis was conducted, showing that nearly PKR 7 billion was required for reconstruction, including PKR4 billion to rebuild the transport sector alone. The damage assessment conducted by district line departments were validated by the Sarhad Rural Support Programme. UNDP has initiated rehabilitation of 26 critical infrastructure schemes in Chitral, with US$230,000 funding from the Government of Japan.
Immediately after the October earthquake, UNDP drafted a Recovery and Reconstruction strategy document based on consultations with PDMA, Chitral district officials and other UN agencies including UNICEF, WFP, FAO, UNHabitat, and ILO. Thematic maps were used to show the extent of damage in various sectors in earthquake affected areas of Chitral, such as damage to homes, schools, roads, bridges, and water supply schemes. An estimated US$317 million will be required for earthquake recovery. UNDP Pakistan is collaborating with the Heritage Foundation to pilot 160 prefabricated green shelters and toilets for families who have lost their homes in Chitral and Shangla districts.
For more details, Contact Fatimah Inayet, Communications Analyst, UNDP Pakistan Fatimah.inayet@undp.org