Ahsan for identifying, bridging gaps hindering flood-resilient projects

ISLAMABAD
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Monday directed all relevant ministries to identify and bridge the gaps and obstacles hindering flood-resilient projects, saying “These must be addressed with zero tolerance for delays.”
Chairing the 4th meeting of the Policy and Strategy Committee (PSC) and the Oversight Board on Post-Flood Reconstruction Activities, he also instructed that incomplete PC-I documents should be returned within 15 days to avoid further delays, a news release said.
Among others, the meeting was attended by the Secretary Planning, Secretary Economic Affairs, Chief Secretaries of all Provinces, the Country Directors of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB), the UN Resident Coordinator, the UNDP Resident Representative, the Deputy Head of Mission of the EU and senior officials from the Planning Commission.
The agenda of the meeting was to review and follow-up on decisions made during the 3rd PSC meeting, a progress review of ongoing 4RF projects, updates on flood reconstruction and coordination efforts with UNDP, and the current status of financial pledges.
In his opening remarks, the minister described the unprecedented disaster that struck Pakistan between June and August 2022, caused by a combination of torrential rains, riverine floods and urban flash floods.
He noted that one-third of the country was submerged, affecting 33 million people and displacing nearly 8 million.
The floods claimed over 1,700 lives, with one-third of the victims being children. More than half of the districts in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were declared disaster-stricken.
The 2022 floods also exposed Pakistan’s extreme vulnerability to climate change, despite the country contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, and consistently ranking among the top 10 countries most
affected by climate change.
In response to the 2022 floods, the Ministry of Planning developed the Pakistan’s strategic policy, known as the Resilient, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF). This framework is designed to guide the country’s recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts.
The 4RF outlines four key objectives: enhancing governance and institutional capacity to restore lives and livelihoods, reviving economic opportunities, ensuring social inclusion and participation, and restoring and improving basic services and physical infrastructure in a resilient and sustainable manner.
Ahsan Iqbal said the 2022 floods resulted in a total loss of $30 billion for Pakistan. While the estimated need for recovery was $16.2 billion and pledges received so far stood amounting to $10.9 billion.
The Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) estimated that the total damages exceeded $14.9 billion, with economic losses reaching $15.2 billion. The assessment also projected a significant increase in food insecurity, with the number of affected people expected to rise from 7 million to 14.6 million.
Additionally, over two million housing units were damaged, including 780,000 completely destroyed and more than 1.2 million suffered partial damage.
The minister emphasized the importance of the collaboration between Pakistan and its development partners following the catastrophic 2022 floods.
He said a number of initiatives were launched in response to the disaster, with significant commitments made by international partners, highlighting the need for swift and efficient implementation of projects to rebuild affected communities and restore livelihoods.
“The objective of this forum is to assess the progress of projects agreed upon by the federal and provincial governments, alongside our development partners, and to establish a robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism that ensures transparency and efficiency. This will foster greater trust and confidence among our partners,” he said.
Commenting on the challenges, Ahsan Iqbal highlighted a paradox in the approach adopted by development partners regarding resilience and adaptation.
“Initially, we were encouraged to focus on long-term adaptation and resilience. However, as the Geneva Conference drew near, partners recommended shifting to short-term projects due to the high costs of adaptation. Despite this, the 4RF document fully incorporates adaptation and resilience components, ensuring we are prepared for future challenges,” he explained.
The minister underlined the urgency of addressing climate change impacts, pointing out severe weather changes and notable losses in agricultural output, particularly in cotton crops this year.
While discussing the Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation Project (IFRAP), the minister expressed concerns about the delays in flood reconstruction efforts in Balochistan.
He emphasized the need for accelerated progress in this province, which was among the most underdeveloped regions.
The $400 million IFRAP aims to assist approximately 35,100 home owners with housing reconstruction grants to rebuild their homes according to resilience standards.
Additionally, it will provide livelihood grants to smallholder farmers to support livestock, promote climate-smart agriculture, and enhance other productive activities.
The project also focuses on restoring essential services by rehabilitating damaged community infrastructure and facilities, including water supply, irrigation, roads, and other community amenities.