Sindh, World Bank agree to launch Rs110b housing project for flood victims

Development comes after CM Murad, officials of global lender hold meeting to discuss rehabilitation process

KARACHI:

The Sindh government with the assistance of World Bank has decided to launch a Rs110 billion housing scheme for the flood-affected people and a special unit will also be established under the chief secretary.

This emerged on Friday in a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and World Bank Country Director Najy Benhassine who attended the huddle through video link from Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Azra Pechuho, Manzoor Wassan, Nasir Shah Jam Khan Shoro, Zia Abbas Shah, Rasool Bux Chandio, Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi, and secretaries concerned. The World Bank team who attended the meeting in person include Programme Leader Abedalrazaq Khalif, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist Elif Ayhan, Bilal Khalid, Kamran Akbar, Yunziyi Lag and Farah Yamin.

The chief minister said that he has already deputed teams to clear water from flooded towns and villages. “The dewatering process is in progress and hopefully within one-and-a-half months it would be completed,” he said and added that he would start construction of houses for the affected people once the water is drained.

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CM Murad said as the winter season is around the corner “we have to make housing arrangements for the people”.

He urged the global lender to finance the housing project.

The provincial chief executive and the World Bank country director after thorough discussions and deliberations decided to launch the project of Rs110 billion for which a company would be established under the chairmanship of the chief secretary.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of the company with the support of the public and private sector would start the construction of the houses for which the survey is in progress.