In 2022, record monsoon rains brought an unprecedented disaster to Pakistan. Thirty-three million people, or one in seven Pakistanis, were affected by widespread flooding, including nearly 8 million displaced. Sindh province was the hardest hit, with significant devastation across sectors including housing. In that province alone, 2 million homes were either fully or partially damaged. Total damages from the disaster exceeded $14.9 billion, while total economic losses reached $15.2 billion.

Determined to bounce back from the disaster, affected households in Sindh province have been building their homes back better with support from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the World Bank. With further assistance from the Japan-World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management in Developing Countries, this support has been provided under the auspices of the $950 million Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project. 

Under this project, over 274,000 homes have been reconstructed by their households to be resilient, which will provide a safer living environment for an estimated 1.5 million people. Reconstruction has started on a further 207,000 homes. 

“Learning from past experience, I built my house [stronger and higher] to avoid future destruction.”
– Wazira Bibi, resident of Dadu district, Sindh, who rebuilt her home with assistance from the Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project

Informed by lessons from post-disaster reconstruction elsewhere in the region, an owner-driven reconstruction model has underpinned the design and implementation of the reconstruction. Subsidy grants have been distributed to households, allowing them to choose building materials and methods suited to their particular circumstances. These grants are then disbursed in tranches, with each disbursement linked to progress in the reconstruction and adoption of multi-hazard resilient standards. The reconstruction of homes in line with these standards is being verified by local nongovernmental organizations, as well as by committees of local people called “Village Reconstruction Committees.” Ongoing analytical work, supported by GFDRR, is exploring the potential use of drone technology to facilitate verification. 

Multi-hazard resilient standards were developed following extensive consultations with key stakeholders such as government departments, engineering consultants from the private sector, academia including international experts, and civil society organizations with relevant expertise. Throughout the reconstruction, technical teams have been providing training to ensure adherence to these standards. Research has shown that housing reconstruction subsidy grants are most effective when paired with appropriate technical assistance. 

As highlighted in the GFDRR guidance note, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Disaster Recovery, women in Pakistan have often struggled to access post-disaster assistance, in part because of prevailing social norms. In response, the Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project has been designed to provide an entry point for women to participate and even take the lead in the housing reconstruction. Among the households where reconstruction has either been completed or is underway, 37 percent saw women receive the reconstruction subsidy grants. Moreover, nearly half of the members of the Village Reconstruction Committees were women. Looking ahead, a major priority will be to deepen the reconstruction’s commitment to leaving no one behind, particularly with regard to people living with disabilities. For example, with the help of a mobile app, efforts are underway to collect detailed data on people with disabilities in Sindh province. Insights from these data are expected to inform the training and guidance on resilient reconstruction being provided to households.