Flood update : Sindh asks WB, ADB to rush assessments

There were damages in all parts of the province but 13 districts were affected the most.

KARACHI: The Asian Development Bank and World Bank were asked by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to complete their survey and assessment of damages so that the process of rehabilitation could be speeded up.

In a meeting with the bank representatives, the chief minister said that the economy of the province had been hit in the worst possible way because of the damages and would lead to socio-economic problems like unemployment. Shah told the bank representatives that there had been damages in all parts of the province but 13 out of the 23 districts had been affected the most.

“More than 8.1 million people have not had shelter and over 400 people have died along with 100,000 animals,” he said. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank representative said that they were in the process of assessing the damages and the report would be completed soon.

The provincial secretaries and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) director general presented the chief minister with detailed reports of the damages and needs for assistance.

Sindh Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Minister for Rehabilitation Haji Muzaffar Ali Shujra, Asian Development Bank Country Director Werner Liepach, Raja Rehan Arshad of the World Bank and Sindh Chief Secretary Raja Muhammad Abbas also attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th,  2011.