ISLAMABAD – Around 70 percent of people affected by floods in Pakistan have said that their top priority was employment and not the financial assistance, said a survey conducted by international agency Oxfam.
According to the survey report, made public on Wednesday in a press conference, around 2,040 people, between 15 and 24 January 2011 were interviewed in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh provinces, which provide a compelling insight into the needs and desires of those who survived Pakistan’s worst disaster.
Oxfam also stressed that concerns and needs of the people as transpired in the survey should be taken into account in any new reconstruction policy. Around 87 percent of the people responded, as per the survey, that income poverty was their most fundamental issue which should be addressed immediately by creating more employment opportunities and 73 percent said that rising prices was the basic issue whereas 28 percent said corruption to be the primary concern.
The survey found that the affected persons said the availability of affordable food (34 percent), homes (23 percent) and healthcare (22 percent), apart from jobs, also need to be prioritised as reconstruction begins. The poll also shows that over a third (36 percent) of survivors see corruption in relief and reconstruction efforts as one of the more serious problems facing the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Oxfam’s Country Director Neva Khan said, “People want jobs. They are not looking for hand outs.”
“They (people) want to work their way out of poverty and rebuild a better life than before. They are calling for food they can afford, healthcare for when they are sick, and somewhere to live – the most basic of basics. The Pakistani authorities and foreign donors need to make sure the Pakistan that emerges from the floods is able to help people satisfy these key needs.”
She also said that the government had not yet come up with any re-construction plan hoping that policy maker would take the findings of the survey into account while making the policy. She also added that the government should take a lead in this regard along with civil society organisations.
When asked why the government had not introduced any reconstruction policy despite of the lapse of the over eight months, she said that the government could answer the question but she added that there were some changes taking place and many departments were being devolved to the provinces, which could be a reason of the delay.
Some 18 million people were affected by the floods that ravaged Pakistan in July and August of 2010. According to the UN, 1.6 million homes were destroyed and more than 5 million jobs were lost. The UN fund for the response to the Pakistan floods is still seeking a third of its funding needs.
