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| February 1, 2006 | Wednesday | Muharram 2, 1427 |
$100m rehabilitation project launched
ISLAMABAD, Jan 31: Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) on Tuesday launched a ‘Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project’ for quake-affected areas with a funding of $100 million from the World Bank.
Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra) Chairman Lt-Gen Mohammad Zubair was the chief guest at a ceremony held in this regard.
Speaking on the occasion, the Erra chief said the October 8 earthquake brought innumerable sufferings to the people of the affected areas. Thousands lost their lives, thousands were injured, and thousands are suffering from trauma.
He said the government was striving for reviving economic activities in the devastated areas, so that survivors could stand on their own feet. He said restoration of housing was the first priority of the government, followed by restoration of health and education infrastructure in the affected areas of the NWFP and the AJK.
PPAF Chief Executive Kamal Hayat highlighted important features of the project. He said the PPAF offered a holistic reconstruction solution, involving complete rebuilding of 250 villages in 34 union councils of the AJK and the NWFP.
He said this rehabilitation and reconstruction effort involved 24,000 low-cost housing units along with 200 community buildings, 12,000 infrastructure schemes, and training of 16,000 individuals from partner organizations and communities in various skills and trades. Disbursements will also made by the PPAF up to a maximum of Rs150,000 each in three equal instalments for reconstruction of a completely collapsed house.
Moreover, PPAF ensures adherence to Erra’s guiding principles for disbursements, and seismic, structural and environmental standards/codes along with additional support for securing restoration of livelihoods, community physical infrastructure and training in trauma/stress management with a foremost concern for widows, orphans, the elderly and the disabled.
The PPAF’s $100 million programme aims at an effective, well-focused and well-coordinated rehabilitation and reconstruction programme synchronized with the broader national effort, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that after the calamity, the PPAF reallocated $5 million from existing resources for the rehabilitation efforts, Mr Hayat said.
Th PPAF has already provided 100,000 CGI sheets with tool kits to affected areas. An additional Rs1 million was contributed to “Presidents Relief Fund” from PPAF’s own resources, and Prime Minister’s Relief Cell has also been supported with relief items. The PPAF staff also voluntarily contributed one day’s salary to the relief fund.
The PPAF is a World Bank-funded project sponsored by the government of Pakistan. The fund strives for increasing access of the poor to social and economic services and resources.
At present, the PPAF is the largest fund of its kind set up by the World Bank. To date, it has disbursed Rs12.6 billion to more than 20,000 villages of 96 districts of the country, Mr Hayat said. — APP
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