ISLAMABAD – The government is unable to take measures for minimizing chances of flood damages in the future owing to financial constraints and would reconstruct only the lost infrastructures, said National Flood Reconstruction Plan, a report by the Planning Commission of Pakistan.
The government’s reconstruction plan, based on the estimates of the Damages and Needs Assessments (DNA) Report, prepared by the World Bank and the Asian Development (ADB), said the government had decided to reconstruct the damaged infrastructure only as it cost Rs 578 billion and could not afford protective measures for averting floods or minimising the losses they could cause in the future because of financial constraints.
The DNA Report had stated that the recent floods had incurred losses of around Rs 855 billion ($10.0 billion) to Pakistan and the government had three reconstruction options- the reconstruction of the damaged infrastructures only, improving the damaged infrastructures as well as reconstruction (Build Back Better or BBB) and lastly reconstruction coupled with protective measures for averting, staving off the danger or minimising the risks of damages in future floods. The NDA also stated that the given options would cost Rs 578 billion, Rs 630 billion and Rs 758 billion respectively.
According to the Planning Commission’s reconstruction plan, the government would replace the lost infrastructure only and restore activities pertaining to livelihood, trade and business only. The plan also said that neither of the remaining two options could not be exercised as it would involve more allocation of funds.
