Pakistan Earthquake – Budget Support Begins
30 March 2007
DFID Pakistan is to release £17.5 million of support to the Government of
Pakistan’s
Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA). This
money is part of a total of £56 million which will be provided to ERRA in three
parts. The funding will go towards reconstructing housing, health, education and
other facilities.
In addition, DFID has already given £5 million to purchase bridges, to rebuild the devastated education system and to maintain TB and mental health services. A further £9 million is being spent on improving the Government’s capacity to deal with the reconstruction effort, and to support the World Health Organisation (WHO) in establishing an effective early-warning system for disease.
The Government has now released over 2.7 million housing grants to enable people to start reconstructing their homes, as well as 340,000 cash grants to help families regain their livelihoods. Of the 4 million people affected by the October 2005 earthquake, 99% are now living in their own semi-permanent houses, built with materials supplied by the Government and the international community. The remaining 35,000 people are being looked after in well-organised camps and will soon begin the process of rebuilding.
In January a team from DFID’s Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Department concluded that the Government and the United Nation’s preparations for the coming winter have so far been successful. All main access roads have been kept open, reducing population movement by enabling access to goods and supplies. Basic services are functioning, and according to the WHO, access to healthcare may in some areas be better than pre-earthquake.
For further information please contact Liam Docherty (L-Docherty@dfid.gov.uk)
