MANILA: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $400 million concessional loan to help rebuild homes and community infrastructure in Pakistan’s Sindh province, which was devastated by the 2022 floods.
The Sindh Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project aims to restore flood-damaged houses and infrastructure, supporting the recovery of livelihoods and enhancing resilience against future climate-related disasters, the ADB announced.
This project is part of ADB’s broader response to Pakistan’s flood crisis, with the bank committing a total of $1.5 billion from 2023 to 2025 to aid in the country’s recovery.
“This initiative will help rebuild homes, restore livelihoods, and provide basic services in Sindh, the hardest-hit province by the 2022 floods,” said Yevgeniy Zhukov, ADB Director General for Central and West Asia. “It is a crucial component of ADB’s comprehensive support to help Pakistan recover from the disaster that affected 33 million people and caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure.”
Sindh province experienced around 83% of the total housing damage from the floods, with about 2.1 million houses destroyed or damaged. Many victims still live in temporary shelters without essential services like water, sanitation, and electricity.
The project will provide conditional cash grants to rebuild 250,000 houses with designs that are resilient to multiple hazards and environmentally friendly. It will also support the construction of community infrastructure, including drinking water and sanitation facilities, covered drainage, and renewable energy solutions for 100,000 households in approximately 1,000 flood-affected villages in Sindh. Additionally, the project will offer conditional cash grants for livestock, agriculture, small businesses, and e-commerce.
“ADB’s support will not only help Pakistan rebuild but also promote community-led resilience and disaster risk management strategies to better prepare for future hazards,” said Srinivas Sampath, ADB Director for Water and Urban Development.
“We are working closely with other development partners to support the government’s recovery and reconstruction efforts.”