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| November 9, 2005 | Wednesday | Shawwal 6, 1426 |
Report puts NWFP reconstruction cost at over Rs61bn
PESHAWAR, Nov 8: Multilateral donor agencies have estimated that the NWFP government will need more than Rs 61 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation in parts of the province affected by last month’s earthquake.
Officials of the NWFP government told Dawn on Tuesday that the damage assessment report, jointly prepared by experts of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the UK’s Department for International Development, has shown that the province suffered over Rs 61 billion in financial losses in the wake of the devastation caused by the deadly tremors and aftershocks.
The report, according to sources, evaluated the destruction caused to public sector infrastructure, private properties and businesses.
“They [experts] have estimated that the province would need over Rs 61 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation,” said a development planner.
He said that the donors’ assessment report also encompassed the social impact of the devastation in addition to financial losses suffered by the public and private sectors as a result of damage caused to official infrastructure and private properties.
“While determining the financial requirements of the province for reconstruction and rehabilitation, the donors have made their estimates by calculating the cost of construction material and transportation in addition to taking into account the price escalation factor,” said the official. “The assessment report also caters to the financial cost of building earthquake-proof structures in the affected areas”.
As per its own estimates, the provincial government suffered Rs 17.5 billion losses due to damage caused to its infrastructure, including schools, roads, hospitals, irrigation channels, police stations, etc.
Initially, the province had estimated the extent of its financial losses to be slightly over Rs 11 billion.
However, the revised estimates put the figure of losses suffered as a result of the collapse of official buildings and infrastructure, at a high side, projecting an increase by over Rs6 billion in comparison with its earlier losses’ assessment.
“The revised estimates of losses entail damage suffered by the government under all its 18 sectors including health, education, water and sanitation, roads, etc,” said the official.
According to official sources, health and education sectors suffered the most. The financial losses suffered as a result of the collapsing of buildings of hospitals, basic health units and rural health units, said the sources, had been estimated to be over Rs 5.8 billion.
The provincial Health Minister, Inayatullah Khan, told Dawn that four hospitals and buildings of 18 rural health units and 104 basic health units were completely destroyed in the earthquake.
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