Both are residents of Village Haji Jaffar Jamari, in Thatta district, in Sindh, and proud owners of a spanking new two-room energy-efficient house, for which they cannot believe, that “they didn't have to pay a single rupee!” They are among the 25 poorest women in their village who were selected as beneficiaries of the government's housing programme.

Based on the 2004 State of the Environment and Development report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over two-thirds of the households in rural Sindh are extremely “vulnerable” to natural disasters. The Indus delta, in particular, is experiencing the worst form of sea intrusion. Moreover, dense population, poor economy and several socio-economic factors make it most vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

Once prosperous, the delta, with its people engaged in extensive agriculture, today, a vast majority of the over two million deltaic population has been forced to abandon their age-old occupation, having either migrated to urban centres, where they live in abject poverty, or turned to hard labour by working as daily wage earners.

The areas that have been earmarked for the homes are especially prone to small storm and annual typhoons. Every three to four years large scale cyclones are experienced. It also means the indigenous people are forever reconstructing their homes.

Launched in May 1, 2009, the US $2.3 million project aims at providing a total of 500 energy-efficient low-cost and disaster-proof houses, mostly to women, in the remote villages of Thatta, Badin and Karachi by November 2009. The selection of beneficiaries was based on two main criteria—the recipient should belong to the poorest of the poor and to areas most prone to natural disasters.

The government signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) where the former is the executing partner and the latter the implementing partner. The Global Environment Facilitys Small Grants Programme (SGP) engaged two partner organisations for its successful completion.

Each house costs Rs345,000 including the cost of material, manufacturing machines, capital cost and other overheads. However, after successful technology transfer, the per unit cost will come down to Rs250,000.

“It would be like living in a mansion with a kitchen, verandah and bedrooms,” said 43-year-old Sat Bai, of Jaffar Jamari, looking at her new abode. Abdul Majeed, 31, said, “Had I put in a life time's earnings, I would not have built such a big and beautiful house.”

Zadi is jubilant about the latrine that comes with the new home. “We defecate in the open and it is difficult during the rains, especially for our daughters.” For her, the home is nothing short of a 'bungalow'.

“The pyramidal roof is thermally efficient, leakage proof, light-weight and economical, compared to conventional roofing,” said Professor Jawed Shah, who has been hired for the project by the UNDP as its chief technical advisor.
Built on the beneficiaries' plots, the houses are identical in design and measure 640 square feet each. With the construction on their own land, while they didn't have to pay for these homes, the beneficiaries helped in the construction in the form of filling earth in the foundation and at plinth level and putting water on the walls for curing.

During the project, more than 700 local people have been trained in the use of new technology. “In most cases the beneficiaries have built the houses themselves,” said Mahesar.

The project boasts the use of indigenous and eco-friendly technology and materials that can withstand the ravages of nature, the frequency and intensity of which is widely believed to be the results of climate change, the bane of modern society. The choice of both technology and building materials is also intended to provide sustainable energy solutions, considered safer and cheaper. For instance, Shah explained “The use of compressed earth blocks (CEB) is being done for the very first time in Pakistan.”

Shah has also made special provision to recycle kitchen and toilet wastewater through individual floor trap. He has ensured that each house gets a kitchen garden. All homes are provided with solar lanterns although there is proper electrical wiring done for each house, too.