Early recovery phase: ‘60% flood rehabilitation yet to materialise’

UNDP releases report highlighting challenges ahead, funding gap.

ISLAMABAD:

Almost eight months after the devastating floods, 60 per cent of the funding required for the early recovery phase is yet to be received, according to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report.

The UNDP released updated statistics on Friday on behalf of the Early Recovery Group (ERWG). The report highlights the challenges that lie ahead, with a main focus on the huge funding gap.

“Mapping and gap analysis for early recovery shows that the affected population’s overall needs stand in excess of $1 billion. Only 40 per cent has been realised so far,” says the factsheet.

The UN agency said $610.8 million are required to overcome critical needs in the ongoing phase.

Earlier this week, chief of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had also said that they were short of $600 million against the estimated funds required for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

The floods that hit three-fourths of the country last summer affected an estimated 20 million people. They were the worst floods in the country’s history. They ravaged 100,000 square kilometres of land and crops on over 2.2 million hectares of land were destroyed, while an estimated 450,000 livestock perished. As many as 1.3 million households were affected.

The ERWG, comprising 12 government, non-government and UN agencies, was constituted after the rescue and relief phase. The group is working at the federal, provincial and district levels for the early recovery phase. Many flood victims have complained of a lack of relief.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th,  2011.