Flood-hit areas of Sindh: PDP calls for launch of rural reconstruction scheme

KARACHI: Chairman of Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Altaf Shakoor has regretted that flood-hit areas in Sindh are still awaiting the start of a reconstruction process, and suggested that the Sindh government should establish a rural reconstruction department with immediate effect.

He said that Sindh requires an urgent rural reconstruction process but the provincial government is not providing the resources for it. The NGOs, political parties and philanthropists have also lost interest in the rehabilitation of flood victims.

Mr Shakoor said millions of rural affectees need urgent assistance, to repair or rebuild their damaged houses. They also need seed, fertiliser and other agriculture inputs to sow Rabi crops, especially wheat.

He said that international lenders are not waiving Pakistani loans in the wake of this huge humanitarian crisis which show the inhuman attitude of these “blood-sucking leeches”. He said the international community has turned a cold shoulder to Pakistan and even the friendly countries are not playing the role of a close friend in these testing times. In these dismal circumstances the nation should focus on community-based efforts to begin the rural reconstruction process, he said.

He suggested replicating the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) in the flood-hit villages and towns. When an NGO started working on the OPP in 1980, Orangi was a cluster of 113 low-income settlements having a population of 1.5 million. Under the initiative five basic programmes — of low-cost sanitation, housing, health, education and credit for micro enterprises — were launched.

The project showed that at the neighbourhood level people can finance, manage and maintain facilities like sewerage, water supply, schools, clinics, solid waste disposal and security. The government’s role is to compliment the people’s work with larger facilities like trunk sewers and treatment plants, water mains and water, colleges/universities, hospitals, main solid waste disposals and landfill sites.

Mr Shakoor said that the Sindh government should immediately set up a rural reconstruction ministry to begin rural reconstruction of the flood-damaged villages. Without an immediate response regarding rural reconstruction the rehabilitation of millions of flood victims is not possible.

He also asked the federal government to provide a special generous grant for starting the rural reconstruction process in Sindh on a fast-track basis.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022