What is the situation on the ground in Sindh?
Sindh has a population of 50.4 million people (23 percent of the country¡¯s population) and generates 27 percent of Pakistan¡¯s GDP. Nearly half of Sindh¡¯s population lives in rural areas and about 37 percent of the rural population lives below the poverty line. The province is particularly vulnerable to natural disaster events due to its geographical location, socioeconomic vulnerability, and climatic conditions. According to pre-floods housing census data, more than 2.7 million houses in Sindh¡¯s rural areas are ¡®katcha houses¡¯, which are made of mud and don¡¯t meet engineering standards for resilience, while 5.6 million housing units are ¡®pakka¡¯ or made of brick. A portion of Sindh¡¯s housing stock is also located in areas that are prone to recurrent hazards, such as flood plains. The number of houses with unclear ownership status is significant, due to the relative informality of the housing sector in rural areas. Pakistan¡¯s gender gap that excludes women from opportunities is also a factor in the housing sector: Almost half of home-owning women in Sindh do not have a title or deed.
How was housing in Sindh affected by the floods?
According to the , almost 1.7 million houses in Sindh were either partially damaged or fully destroyed. As a result, millions of families are living in temporary shelters that are unsafe.
What is the Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction project and how will it help Sindh?
will build or repair 350,000 sustainable, multi-hazard resilient housing in selected areas affected by the floods. Housing subsidy grants will be provided to allow for beneficiary-driven construction that meets standards of enhanced resilience and reflects local preferences and available materials. Houses will be constructed to include basic rainwater harvesting systems and latrines to improve water, sanitation and hygiene.
Households that lack access to documents proving identity or property ownership, including members of female-headed households, will be supported by technical assistance to prove their ownership and eligibility for reconstruction and restoration grants. Safeguards will be established to ensure that houses of vulnerable groups¡ªespecially women-headed households, single women, the elderly and persons with disabilities¡ªare prioritized for reconstruction. Depending on their needs, beneficiaries will also receive construction support or be trained in financial management and supervision to ensure that their houses are completed on time, within budget and to required standards of resilience, quality, and sustainability.
Who will benefit from the project?
Approximately 350,000 multi-hazard resilient core housing units will be supported, benefitting an estimated 1.4 million people ¨C roughly half of whom are women. Additionally, an estimated 400,000 beneficiaries will be trained in multi-hazard resilient construction techniques through capacity building activities supported by the project. Building this capacity among Sindh residents will improve the long-term resilience of communities by improving the structural designs and construction practices of the housing sector.