Early Recovery Plan for Flood Affected People In Punjab Province
Status: Completed Start Date: Oct 2010 End Date: Mar 2011 Geographic Coverage: District Muzzafargarh, Punjab Focus Area: Humanitarian Assistance (Early Recovery) SDG Goal: – Implementing Partner: SPO Funding Partner: Care International in Pakistan
Country-wide torrential rains, which began late July 2010, had caused unprecedented flooding throughout Pakistan. More than 160,000 square meters, one fifth of the country’s surface area, had experienced the worst flooding which damaged the most fertile and crop producing lands of the country. Devastating the livelihoods of small traders, subsistence farmers and herders.
The river banks have been swept away and the floods did extensive damage to agricultural equipment and infrastructure, such as generators, water mills, field retention walls and irrigation systems. As water recedes, the need for recovery measures had also emerged.
In response to these floods of 2010, and in partnership with Care International-‐Pakistan, Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO) implemented short term early recovery and relief project for flood affected population of Tehsil Kotadu in District Muzaffargarh.
Despite the post-‐flood accessibility challenges, SPO bridged the gaps between community needs and supplied essentials to regenerate livelihood of the flood victims through this project titled ‘Emergency food security and livelihood support to flood affected populations in Pakistan’.
The six-‐month response ensured that targeted communities have access to adequate and appropriate food to uphold their survival, dignity and fosters early livelihoods recovery. Second objective of the project was to create livelihood opportunities which could benefit flood affected communities-‐at-‐large. Like 1,000 Households were given opportunities of Cash for Work in exchange of their services related to rehabilitation of community infrastructures. To maintain transparency, temporary Village Relief Committees (VRC) was also formed after community mobilization. Village development plan (VDP) was developed with the support of VRC. The VDP was a tool used by community mobilizers of SPO to prioritize needs in reconstruction and rehabilitation of community infrastructure under this project. Village level enterprise committees were also formed in consultation with local stakeholders. In addition to these intervention, cash grants to 900 small traders’ families were provided especially amongst the beneficiaries were women headed households (benefiting 6,300 individuals) for restoring their income generating activities as well as regenerating markets.
The formation purpose of both committees was to keep the interventions participatory in approach. The needs had come from the flood affected community for which only they remained the best judge of optimum and transparent utilization of funds. Follow ups were also held for proper utilization of the grants for micro enterprises, so under this short term project SPO through its Monitoring and Evaluation department conducted monthly follow up visits.
Making the flood affected most resilient was another important aspect of this project. In order to create awareness in the target communities, five mega awareness sessions on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) were held at community level. Keeping in view the natural disasters, community successfully completed prioritization of hazards on the basis of its frequency, intensity and damages. A unique tool of Hazard, Vulnerability, and Capacity Assessment (HVCA) was used in field to draw lessons for flood affected community.
SPO and Care International played vital role in providing support to local authorities in coordination of disaster management activities and carrying out relief activities with the support of its local networks. The project interventions were also successful because close liaison with district government officials, especially District Coordination Officer, EDOs for Health, Education, Community Development and EDO Revenue had been established in the district Muzaffargarh.
