Planning ministry says govt remains committed to Balochistan’s flood-hit people

The Planning Ministry of Pakistan has reaffirmed its commitment to assisting the flood-affected families in Balochistan, despite reports that the provincial and federal governments had altered a World Bank-funded rehabilitation project. According to the ministry, 68,992 houses in Balochistan, which were fully damaged or destroyed, were identified as eligible for reconstruction assistance under the Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation Programme (IFRAP).

Each of these houses is entitled to the housing aid committed under the program. Additionally, the ministry stated that the project offers self-recovery support for 58,016 partially damaged houses. As of August 10, construction had commenced on 74,988 houses, with 26,357 already completed under the owner-driven reconstruction model.

The ministry clarified that IFRAP is a multi-sectoral recovery and resilience program, encompassing more than just rebuilding houses, and stressed that affected families still require access to essential services such as schools, healthcare facilities, irrigation, roads, and livelihood opportunities. The ministry also mentioned that the housing component of IFRAP is the only significant part financed above its originally authorized cost, with $161 million allocated for housing against an approved PC-1 cost of $155 million.

However, the Planning Ministry acknowledged that concerns about project implementation and performance were taken seriously, leading to the establishment of an independent high-level inquiry by the Project Steering Committee to investigate the matter transparently. The committee also ordered the capping of housing support at 62,966 beneficiaries, with the subsidy support remaining capped at 97,000, leaving 119,049 eligible households without financing support.

The World Bank's Country Director, Bolormaa Amgaabazar, expressed concern over this decision, noting that 66,120 exclusion-related grievances had already been registered in the project grievance management system.