The torrential floods of 2010 devastated a large area of Pakistan.  Government figures indicate that over 20 million people were directly affected, across an area stretching from the Chinese border to the bank of the Arabian Sea.  The Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, with its expertise in improving the built environment of rural areas in the country, implemented a series of projects to contribute to the early recovery of flood affected communities in Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtwunkha regions of Pakistan.  In the same year, Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral regions of Pakistan that fall in the three highest mountain ranges of the world - Karakarum, Hindukush and Himalaya, two waves of extreme rains and dramatically increased glacial melting caused significant devastation in all seven districts of the region; the area was also the source for the floods that spread across the rest of the country.  National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan and United Nations assessments indicate that in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, 87,000 people were affected by the floods and over 2,830 houses had been destroyed or badly damaged.

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Following the devastating floods that hit Pakistan in the late summer of 2010, AKPBS has provided temporary shelters for thousands of people who lost their homes.

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AKF

AKPBS rehabilitated damaged water supply schemes and sanitation facilities, constructed winterized shelters, and installed latrines and water supply points.  During the year 2011, AKPBS provided 2,815 transitional shelters with 234 water supply points and 1,028 communal latrines in the Sindh province of Pakistan.  Health and Hygiene awareness sessions were also conducted at the shelter sites to create awareness amongst the communities about good hygiene practices.

In the Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, a total of 767 winterised transitional shelters and 483 repairs were provided to flood affected families whose homes were damaged/destroyed by the floods. Utilising its Building and Construction Improvement Programme’s energy efficient and home improvement products, AKPBS,P provided additional these highly vulnerable families were protected from the harsh winters of the region. 

Following the completion of the Relief and Recovery Programme, AKPBS is currently initiating its activities for the next phase of post-flood rehabilitation of the affected communities and has introduced a long-term vision for economical, disaster resilient and energy efficient permanent housing development.  The proposed housing models will be disaster resilient, durable and will include improved aesthetics and thermal comfort, while also being culturally sensitive and environmentally friendly.  The beneficiaries of the permanent housing in both the regions will be provided with better housing solutions as compared to their old houses, which were seismically unsafe and non-engineered.