Pakistan, which faced devastating floods in 2022, has utilized only 29.4% of the donor funding for flood relief projects out of the total pledged amount of USD 3.36 billion by international donors and local funds of USD 364 million until May, according to a media report on Wednesday.
A meeting to review flood recovery progress on Tuesday revealed that financial progress of 29.4% was achieved by utilizing USD 1.091 billion countrywide, involving both federal and provincial governments, The News International reported. The federal government utilized USD 258.89 million against the allocated USD 829.4 million, as discussed in the 4th meeting of the International Partners Support Group (IPSG) at the Prime Minister’s Office, chaired by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema.
Balochistan showed the lowest financial progress at 1.7%, Sindh achieved 41.2%, Punjab reached 100%, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attained 3.5% financial progress.
UNICEF reported that the 2022 floods submerged one-third of the country, affecting 33 million people, half of whom were children. The floods damaged most water systems in affected areas, forcing over 5.4 million people to rely on contaminated water sources.
Ranked as the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change according to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan faces increasingly severe extreme weather events, a UN report warned.
The total damage from the 2022 floods, which affected 33 million people, is estimated at PKR 3.2 trillion (USD 14.9 billion), with a total loss of PKR 3.3 trillion (USD 15.2 billion).
The meeting marked nearly two years since the floods and aimed to review flood recovery progress and realign efforts for a resilient Pakistan ahead of the next monsoon season. Cheema emphasized provincial cooperation and reiterated the commitment to transparency in implementing the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF) projects, as pledged by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the previous IPSG meeting.
