Foreign countries pouring aid to Flood victims . 2022

[ghazi52]

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ADB to provide ‘significant’ relief, rehabilitation package for flood-hit Pakistan​

Dawn.com | Imtiaz Ali | Qurban Ali Khushik
September 20, 2022

A boy wades through flood waters at Sohbatpur in Jaffarabad district of Balochistan province on September 19. — AFP

Internally displaced people gather to receive free food near their makeshift camp in the flood-hit Chachro of Sindh province on September 19. — AFP

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Tuesday that it was working “quickly” to provide a “significant” relief and rehabilitation package following catastrophic floods in the country.

In a statement, the ADB said that the package is designed to “support people, livelihoods, and infrastructure immediately and in the long-term”.

For the short and medium-term, the bank said it would use ongoing projects to repair damaged infrastructure, including roads and irrigation infrastructure, and to support the development and financial stability of the agriculture sector to boost food security.

“We’re also processing countercyclical support to help the poor and vulnerable, especially women and children, weather the impacts of food prices and other external shocks,” the ADB said.

Long-term, we’ll prioritise projects that support post-flood reconstruction and strengthen climate and disaster resilience, it added.

“We will provide more details of our new assistance package when it is finalised. We will work closely with the government and other international agencies to help rebuild the lives and livelihoods of the more than 33 million people affected by the disaster,” the ADB concluded, adding that it stood with the people of the country.

 

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International donors hire 100 experts to determine flood losses​

We have devised timelines for undertaking verification exercise to ascertain exact damages caused by floods till September 30, says planning secretary​

By Mehtab Haider
September 23, 2022

A displaced flood-affected family sits under the shade of a cot bed at Dera Allah Yar in Jaffarabad district of Balochistan province on September 20, 2022.—AFP

ISLAMABAD: A Joint Steering Committee comprising 10 core international donors, under the leading role of Pakistan, has decided to launch countrywide verification for ascertaining the exact losses next week, caused by recent severe floods.

The preliminary assessment of economic losses and reconstruction costs shows that Pakistan requires over $30 billion over a medium to long-term plan for combating such a mammoth national-level disaster ever experienced in the country’s history.

In order to work out the reconciled cost, the international donors have hired 100 experts from all around the globe, especially from Turkey, Ecuador, and others having expertise to undertake damage and need assessment in disaster-hit areas and identified 12 to 17 sectors for ascertaining exact losses in Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) exercise. It will be conducted jointly by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations and European Union along with representatives of Pakistan, including federal and provincial governments.

“We have devised timelines for undertaking verification exercise to ascertain exact damages caused by floods till September 30, 2022 and then detailed report about reconstruction requirement having medium to long term plan will be ready by October 15, 2022,” Federal Secretary, Ministry of Planning, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, said while briefing a select group of reporters here on Thursday. He said the government would decide to convene an International Donors Conference once they come up with the exact losses and reconstruction costs in the aftermath of floods.

The economic losses showed the country’s GDP growth faced negative impacts and lost growth rate by 3 percent in the wake of floods. The country’s GDP growth might go down to just 2 percent in the current fiscal year 2022-23 against an envisaged target of 5 percent.

Shah said that Pakistan will have to undertake its spadework for fully utilising funds from multilateral creditors, available funding for mitigating effects of climate change, greenhouse funding and exploring all other avenues. The recent floods caused damage in 84 districts and SUPARCO images showed that in Sindh’s flood-affected districts, 80 percent of houses were destroyed. The railway track was damaged severely and its construction cost was estimated at $2.5 billion.

The total accumulated losses, he said, were still evolving because in Sindh dewatering was not yet fully accomplished. He said they shared a template with the provinces with the direction to fill in details, so that the total losses could be worked out.

Initially, the damage assessment was on the lower side, so the government approved cash grants to affected people. But now the number of affected people has gone up to 33 million, so the scale of damage increased manifold. Now Islamabad would have to mobilise its domestic as well as donors’ resources to combat such a mammoth disaster. He was of the view that there was an unprecedented price hike even in the developed world and international community was engaged in Ukraine and other parts of the world. But after the visit of UN Secretary General, there was sensitisation at international level that Pakistan had become a victim of climate change though it was contributing much less to it than the developed world.

He said that Pakistan would present credible assessment on damages caused by the recent floods. He cited the example that initially it was estimated that the cotton crop evaporated but now it was re-assessed that 3 million bales were destroyed in the floods. It is yet to be seen how much prevalence of water in Sindh will cause damage to sowing of wheat in the province. The sowing of wheat would not be damaged much in Punjab.

He said the government has hired a Dutch consultant to revise the cost of flood rehabilitation plan, which had initially been estimated at Rs332 billion. It was approved by the Council of Common Interests with cost sharing formula of 50:50 percent borne by the Centre and provinces. The Flood Rehabilitation Plan would be updated. It was assessed initially the cost of flood rehabilitation structure might escalate close to Rs1,000 billion. The UN flash appeal of $160 million was not sufficient to respond to such a disaster and international community accepted it that Pakistan faced much more losses than the last floods of 2010.

The loses of Sindh, he said, could not be firmed up yet mainly because water still existed in the province. It seemed that the 80 percent areas of flood affected districts turned into canals and prevalence of water in every nook and corner of the areas. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) used census data and other surveys to come up with its estimates of economic losses and it also estimated losses of $30 billion.

The official said that the World Bank and ADB had so far re-prioritized $353 million loans from projects and in the wake of visiting WB and ADB’s high-ups, it was hoped that more resources would be made available for flood affected areas. The ADB’s loan of $1.5 billion for Counter Cyclical Facility would help Pakistan to mitigate this disaster.

He said that the annual development outlay stood at over Rs2 trillion out of which the federal share of Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) stood at Rs800 billion, including Rs723 billion for ministries/divisions and Rs73 billion for Viability Gap Fund (VGF) for execution of projects through Public Private Partnership. The government undertook an exercise to re-direct resources towards flood-affected areas but did not share exact numbers of possible diverted share of resources out of the Rs800 billion allocated amount of PSDP for the current fiscal year.

 

[Ghessan]

I hope a proper mechanism is adopted by these donors so that the relief and rehabilitation is delivered to the deserving and those efforts won't go invain.

 

[ghazi52]

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1571894477895376897

 

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WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday he was pleased to announce another $10 million for food security assistance, adding he was sending a simple message that “we are here for Pakistan just like we have been in the past”.

 

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ISLAMABAD: German Ambassador to Pakistan Alfred Grannas has said that Berlin is extending all possible support to the flood victims, saying the country has donated 28 million euros in flood aid so far.

 

[nahtanbob]

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View attachment 883090

Wow. the Pakistani currency has depreciated. 4.2 billion Pakistani rupees is less than $20 million US

 

[ghazi52]

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[nahtanbob]

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View attachment 883097

the donations are puny. But I will take it

 

[Ghessan]

these donation atleast will make current situation for the flood affectees better.

lets see how the world help when it comes to resettlement of people, construction of houses, infra structure, income sources etc.

it need billions of dollars, really a hard work with current situation of the economy.

 

[Indos]

Indonesia disburses US$1-million aid for Pakistan's flood victims​

26th September 2022

The Indonesian government provides humanitarian assistance in the form of approximately US$1 million in cash assistance as well as goods assistance that we will send today
Jakarta

(ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) provided US$1 million in humanitarian aid in addition to several goods to help Pakistani residents reeling from the impacts of floods and landslides.

"The Indonesian government provides humanitarian assistance in the form of approximately US$1 million in cash assistance as well as goods assistance that we will send today," Jokowi stated at the Halim Perdana Kusuma Air Base Base Ops, here, Monday.

The head of state remarked that the aid will be dispatched aboard two planes in the first phase.


Related news: Taking VP's position to respond to Jokowi's invitation: Amin

"The first phase will consist of two planes sending items of basic need, such as tents, clothes, blankets, sleeping bags, generators, as well as medicines and medical materials," he stated.

Jokowi is optimistic that this assistance would help people in Pakistan to recover quickly and return to their activities.

In addition, the Indonesian government will provide assistance by deploying health workers to offer medical services to Pakistani citizens affected by the disaster, Jokowi remarked.

"We will also assist health workers to help Pakistani people, in line with the request from the Pakistani government," he remarked.

The humanitarian aid was readied by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) based on President Jokowi's directive. Head of BNPB Lieutenant General Suharyanto had reviewed the quality and quantity of the prepared assistance to ensure it is adequate and in accordance with the needs of the victims.

Related news: President urges Bawaslu to conduct electoral supervision strictly

Floods and landslides that struck Pakistan since the end of August 2022 have had a wide impact on the country in the form of damage to agricultural land, schools, houses, and infrastructure as well as forced around 800 thousand people to flee.

The Pakistani government has declared a state of emergency and deployed the military to deal with the major disaster caused by heavy rains.

Some of Pakistan's worst-affected provinces, include Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Indonesia disburses US$1-million aid for Pakistan's flood victims - ANTARA News

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) provided US$1 million in humanitarian aid in addition to several goods to help Pakistani residents reeling from the impacts of ...

en.antaranews.com

 

[ghazi52]

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US extends $132 million debt relief to Pakistan after floods​

Reuters
September 30, 2022

ISLAMABAD: Washington on Friday rolled over an agreement to suspend service payments on $132 million of Pakistan's debt, the US embassy in Islamabad said, as the South Asian nation faces an economic crisis exacerbated by devastating floods.

Pakistan's economy is facing a balance of payments crisis, a widening current account deficit, a slide in its currency to historic lows, and inflation crossing 27%.

Devastating floods meanwhile engulfed large swathes of the country in late August, killing more than 1,500 people and causing damage estimated at $30 billion, fanning fears that Pakistan would not meet its debt obligations.

The US ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome signed the agreement to extend the loan relief under the G20 debt service suspension initiative, the embassy said in a statement, adding: "Our priority is to redirect critical resources in Pakistan."

Bilawal renews call for urgent debt relief, aid

The rollover is related to the Paris club agreement in April 2020 to support 73 lower income countries during COVID, under which the United States provided relief on $128 million in debt to Pakistan.

The agreement to suspend payments on that debt, plus an additional $4 million, has now been rolled over again.

Pakistan's outgoing finance minister Miftah Ismail said last week that Islamabad was seeking debt relief from bilateral creditors in the wake of flooding, but emphasised the government was not seeking any relief from commercial banks or Eurobond creditors.

The country's bonds had slumped to just half their face value, after the Financial Times said a United Nations development agency was urging the cash-strapped country to restructure its debt.

Ismail said the $1 billion bond would be paid on time and in full due later this year.

 

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Sindh, World Bank agree to launch Rs110b housing project for flood victims​

Development comes after CM Murad, officials of global lender hold meeting to discuss rehabilitation process

Hafeez Tunio
September 30, 2022

The Sindh government with the assistance of World Bank has decided to launch a Rs110 billion housing scheme for the flood-affected people and a special unit will also be established under the chief secretary.

This emerged on Friday in a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and World Bank Country Director Najy Benhassine who attended the huddle through video link from Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Azra Pechuho, Manzoor Wassan, Nasir Shah Jam Khan Shoro, Zia Abbas Shah, Rasool Bux Chandio, Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi, and secretaries concerned. The World Bank team who attended the meeting in person include Programme Leader Abedalrazaq Khalif, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist Elif Ayhan, Bilal Khalid, Kamran Akbar, Yunziyi Lag and Farah Yamin.

The chief minister said that he has already deputed teams to clear water from flooded towns and villages. “The dewatering process is in progress and hopefully within one-and-a-half months it would be completed,” he said and added that he would start construction of houses for the affected people once the water is drained.

CM Murad said as the winter season is around the corner “we have to make housing arrangements for the people”.

He urged the global lender to finance the housing project.

The provincial chief executive and the World Bank country director after thorough discussions and deliberations decided to launch the project of Rs110 billion for which a company would be established under the chairmanship of the chief secretary.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of the company with the support of the public and private sector would start the construction of the houses for which the survey is in progress.

 

[Wood]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1574161874568052738

The government has done a great job in mobilizing flood relief support from around the world.