The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) release of the technical assistance completion report on Pakistan Floods 2010 has further weakened the credibility of the government, noting that the government did not follow recommendations made by the Damage and Needs Assessment (DNA).
The ADB’s report says, “The DNA’s recommendation to create institutional arrangements for coordinating and monitoring the reconstruction effort has not being followed. This has created a vacuum particularly at the federal level and a gap of information with the provinces on the status of the reconstruction effort.” The report reveals that the lack of the government coordination was a major operational challenge in DNA compilation.
“Although an effort was made to organise support from stakeholders efficiently,” the report notes, “gaps could have been avoided had there been more ownership of its coordination role by the government.” The report noted that even after the government approved the DNA it did not implement some recommendations regarding arrangements for compensation, coordination and implementation.
The report said this was the reason why there was still no institution in Pakistan to lead and conduct such an exercise in the future. The report noted a need for continuous engagement at the federal level to ensure that the role was assigned to the right institution to coordinate and monitor reconstruction efforts and develop a sustained capacity to manage future disasters. In 2010, Pakistan experienced the worst floods since 1929 and sought international support for recovery and reconstruction.
The government requested ADB and World Bank to jointly lead the Damage Needs Assessment (DNA). An amount of $220,000 was approved for the report; however only $148,095 was utilized. The DNA was expected to guide planning, coordinating and implementing national and international support for reconstruction efforts. The DNA report noted that the reconstruction requirements and cost can be optimized by finding the right balance between reconstruction and preparedness and keeping communities at the center of the reconstruction strategy.
The report, however, terms technical assistance relevant immediately after a disaster. The DNA report was presented at the PDF in November 2010 whom accepted it as the overarching guideline for flood reconstruction and committed funds for its implementation. ADB is also providing Rs 261 million grant to Pakistan for the relief of people affected by floods in Sindh and Balochistan during August this year.
The emergency assistance will help the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) ensure provision of food, drinking water, medicines and tents for flood victims, many already affected by last year’s flood, at the onset of winter.
