World Bank Likely to Approve Sindh’s $450 Million Housing Reconstruction for Flood Victims

The World Bank’s board of directors is likely to approve ‘Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project’ worth $450 million on Friday, aimed at delivering beneficiary-driven, multi-hazard resilient reconstruction of core housing units affected by the 2022 floods in selected districts of Sindh. A housing subsidy will provide reconstruction and restoration grants for 350,000 housing units (almost 20% of the total housing rehabilitation needs for Sindh) benefitting an estimated 1.4 million people, roughly half of whom are women. Additionally, an estimated 400,000 beneficiaries will be trained in multi-hazard resilient construction techniques through capacity-building activities supported by the project. Building this capacity among Sindh residents will improve the long-term resilience of communities by improving the structural designs and construction practices of the housing sector. Cash grants will be provided for houses with structural damage to partially finance reconstruction or restoration. In addition, basic rainwater harvesting systems and twin pit latrines will be provided to improve access to water and sanitation. The project comprises three components. The first component, housing reconstruction grants will support beneficiaries for reconstruction and or restoration of a core housing unit. The second component, institutional strengthening and technical assistance consists of the following sub-components: The third component, project management and implementation support includes the establishment and operationalization of an empowered implementation agency and a grievance redressal mechanism.