Pakistan's poor flood response worsens climate migration crisis

topic:	Migration
located:	Pakistan
editor:	Zulfiqar Kunbhar

One year since the devastating floods of 2022, authorities in Pakistan's hardest-hit Sindh province have admitted their initiative to rebuild 2 million affected houses has advanced by less than 8 per cent. Out of the country's more than 8 million displaced individuals, two-thirds reside in Sindh. A survey by the Government of Sindh revealed that 2.1 million houses were partially or fully damaged.

The floods in Pakistan impacted 33 million people, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Triggered by relentless monsoon rains, the floods claimed 1,700 lives and destroyed 2.9 million homes.

In collaboration with the World Bank, the Sindh Government launched the "Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project" to aid those affected by the 2022 floods, including the establishment of a non-profit entity called the 'Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood Affectees' (SPHF) to oversee its implementation. Construction began in March of this year, with a target completion date set for the end of 2025.

Authorities have labelled the housing program as the world's largest rehabilitation project. It aims to provide housing subsidy cash grants for owner-driven reconstruction of resilient core housing units. Under the initiative, selected households will receive PKR 300,000 ($1,045) in four instalments to facilitate the construction of their homes according to their preferences. However, residents will still have to wait a year to have their houses reconstructed.

"Reconstructing 2 million houses at once means dealing with the world's biggest rehabilitation program. Data validation requires time, so this is the main reason behind the project execution speed," Khalid M. Shaikh, head of SPHF, told FairPlanet. "So far, construction of 150,000 houses has [started out of] two million houses."

Out of the two million affected houses, 1.4 million are severely damaged and will be prioritised for reconstruction, says Shaikh.

Despite the government's intentions, 28-year-old Babar Ali expressed dissatisfaction with insufficient assistance, a shared experience among uprooted persons.

Ali, a farmer by profession, belongs to Khadro town in Sindh's Sanghar district and lost his home to the 2022 flood. For over a year now, his family of six has been living in makeshift arrangements twenty kilometres (12 miles) from where his house once stood.

"This is my second flood-led migration after 2011, which has made life miserable. For 2022 so far, we have not been contacted for any government scheme that will rebuild affected persons' houses," says Ali.

Abira Ashfaq, a human rights activist from Karachi, emphasises the urgent need for governments to provide housing to every citizen in the wake of international obligations.

"Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights asserts the right to a decent standard of living, including proper housing," she cites.

Against a backdrop of worsening climate change-related disasters, she highlights the absence of legislation in Pakistan regarding housing rights. She says such laws should favour citizens rather than cater to foreign housing donors.

Professor Noman Ahmed, an urban planner from NED University in Karachi, criticises reconstruction efforts for flood-affected areas in Sindh, mentioning site selection errors by the government and NGOs.

"The 2022 floods damaged houses due to a lack of drainage systems or because they were in low-lying or water-drain zones. Rebuilding in these areas would be ineffective," he warns.

To remedy this, Ahmed recommends allocating land for new housing construction outside drainage zones, considering future rainfall. He also suggests vertical structures to save on land usage and emphasises using durable materials.

Image by Abdul Ghaffar Chang. On 25 September 2023, in Khadro town, Sanghar district, Sindh, Babar Ali, 28, poses for a photo with his family in front of their makeshift house. Having lost their home in the 2022 flood, his family has lived in this temporary arrangement for over a year.

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