ISLAMABAD, Aug 10: The Japanese government on Wednesday extended a grant of $22.8 million (Rs1.377 billion) to Pakistan for flood forecasting, environmental monitoring and child health care at the federal and provincial level.
The grant includes an allocation of $11.8 million (Rs705 million) for installation of a flood forecasting and early warning system at Nullah Leh and renovation of Children Hospital, Islamabad.
Out of $11.8 million, $6 million (Rs358 million) would be spent on installation of a flood forecasting and warning system at Nullah Leh and the remaining $5.8 million (Rs350) would be spent on the renovation of the Children Hospital.
The installation of forecasting and warning system at Nullah Leh would secure the citizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, particularly those living on the banks of Nullah Leh, from the damages caused by floods.
The Japanese grant would provide for procurement of equipment, construction and installation of the required facilities.
The system includes one master control station, six rainfall gauging stations, two water level gauging stations, a monitoring station, an executive warning station and 10 warning posts equipped with all the necessary modern facilities.
An integrated warning operation would be possible through establishment of 10 warning posts, which would cover about 60 per cent of the areas in risk of flood, while the requirement evacuation time would be shortened from one to two hours based on accurate observations.
At present, there is no adequate arrangement to gauge and evaluate rainfall/river water data. Flood forecasting is not clear and prompt enough to make evacuations. The range of presently available audible system covers only 10 per cent of the low-laying areas.
The Nullah Leh basin normally receives 1,000mm rains annually, with rainfall being heaviest from July to September. Severe monsoon rains had caused a huge flood in Nullah Leh in Rawalpindi in July 23, 2001, which had resulted into the death of 74 people and damaged and destroyed 3,000 houses.
The Japanese government is providing the grant under its newly approved “Country Assistance Programme for Pakistan”, which has been prepared keeping in view the priorities highlighted by the Government of Pakistan in its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and Mid-Term Development Framework (MTDF).
HOSPITAL: With the Japanese grant, the Children Hospital, a component of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), would improve its services through repair and renovation of the existing building and facilities, construction of new operation theatres as well as renovation of the existing operation theatres and extension of latest medical equipment.
The 230-bed tertiary care hospital was constructed through Japanese assistance decades ago and catered for five million children coming from various parts of the country. The Japanese government had extended a grant of $5.2 million to the hospital in August 2003. The institute is a centrepiece of Japanese health care assistance and has received an assistance of $60.7 million from the Government of Japan so far.
ENVIRONMENT: The grant also includes $11 million for establishing a regional environmental monitoring network in Pakistan.
The project would ensure an effective working of environmental protection agencies in Pakistan by enhancing their monitoring capacity and making them get the scientific knowledge to take administrative measures for improving the deteriorated air and water quality.
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