Murad-WB South Asian Chief discuss rescue, rehabilitation plan

Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in his meeting with a high-power World Bank delegation led by its Regional Vice President for South Asia Mr. Martin Raiser presented a $1.1 billion rescue and rehabilitation plan for the flood/trains devastated people in the province.
“Out of 140,914 square kilometer area of the province, the heavy rains/floods have inundated 15.39 percent or 21,691.7 square km and out of 66,549 populated area [of the province] 18.8 percent or 12,541.6 square kilometers has been submerged,” the CM said and added such a magnitude of the devastation was not only unprecedented but would cost billions of rupees to rehabilitate the people, their agriculture, infrastructure and to create a source of income for the poorest of the poor.
The meeting which was held at CM House was attended by WB Senior Operations Officer Ms. Ewa Sobczynska, Country Director Mr. Najy Benhassine, Operations Manager Mr. Gailius J. Draugelis, Program Leaders Mr. Abedalrazq F. Khalil, Mr. Tobias Akhtar Haque aur Senior Disaster Risk Mr. Ahsan Tehsin and others. The CM was assisted by his cabinet members, Dr Azra Pechuho, Nasir Shah, Zia Abbas Shah, Advisors Manzoor Wassan, Murtaza Wahab, Rasool Bux Chandio, Special Assistant Haris Gazdar, chief secretary Sohail Rajput, Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi, and concerned provincial secretaries.
At the outset of the meeting, the World Bank South Asian chief Mr. Martin said that he has visited Dadu, Jamshoro, and other areas and had never seen such a flood situation and humanitarian crisis. He added that his donor agency [WB] would play its due role to support the provincial government to steer its affected people from the crisis.
The chief Minister said that the floods have collapsed 1.7 million houses that need to be constructed after dewatering villages and towns. He added that the construction of such a large number of houses would cost at least $500 million.
Mr. Shah said that he was trying to return people to their homes before the advent of winter. “The winter would create more problems for the people living in the tents or along the roads,” he said.
The World Bank South Asian chief said that his experts and the concerned officers of the Sindh government sit together and prepare a project along with its cost, time, and technology of construction so that the project could be sent to the bank authorities for approval.