Sindh women receive home titles in rebuilt flood-affected village

KARACHI: First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and World Bank Managing Director for Operations Anna Bjerde distributed home ownership certificates to women in Nazar Muhammad Laghari Goth, a flood-affected village in District Shaheed Benazirabad, during a visit on May 23. They were accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, World Bank Country Director Najy Benhassine, and Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood Affected (SPHF) CEO Khalid Mahmood Sheikh.

The visit focused on the ongoing rehabilitation efforts under the SPHF programme, which is tasked with rebuilding homes destroyed during the 2022 floods. According to an official statement, the programme is being implemented by the Sindh government with financial and technical support from the World Bank.

During the visit, the delegation was briefed that all 32 homes destroyed in the village have been rebuilt. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Anna Bjerde met members of the local Village Reconstruction Committee (VRC), including women who presented handicraft work developed during the rehabilitation period.

Anna Bjerde stated that the World Bank remains committed to supporting the Sindh government in its flood recovery operations. She noted that community-level rehabilitation can be carried out despite environmental and logistical challenges.

Speaking on the occasion, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari said that the inclusion of women as homeowners under the SPHF programme represents a shift in property rights distribution in rural areas. Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that more than 2.4 million homes were damaged or destroyed during the 2022 floods.

He said the World Bank initially provided $500 million to launch the housing programme, and later increased the funding by $450 million. According to the chief minister, this support has contributed to the construction of 778,000 homes across the province. An additional $54.92 million has been allocated for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, which will benefit 66,691 families in 1,000 villages.

SPHF CEO Khalid Mahmood Sheikh informed the visitors that in Shaheed Benazirabad district, 104,822 homes were damaged in the floods. Of these, nearly 40,000 have been completed, while around 60,000 are currently under construction.

--IV Desk                                                                        Photos: Official sources

  

With an uninterrupted 23-year career in daily journalism (1991-2013), the author/editor of this blog currently serves as Editor of Social Track, a weekly newspaper focused on social sectors, based in Karachi. Holding a master's degree in Mass Communications from the University of Karachi (1990), his professional experience includes roles as senior reporter at Daily Dawn, Karachi (May 2001-August 2013) and Chief Reporter at The News International, Karachi (April 1991-May 2001). He has a strong background in development journalism, he has an extensive portfolio of news stories, analytical reports and features covering a wide range of sectors. He has had the privilege of covering numerous high-profile figures, including Pakistani presidents, prime ministers, army chiefs, foreign dignitaries, and VVIPs and attending conferences and workshops abroad. He began his journalism career in the early 1980s. Throughout his career, he has received several national awards from government and private organisations. He has contributed to various radio and TV/channel broadcasts and has also served as a trainer at workshops in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, focused on training journalists.

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