Pakistan is struggling to recover from the worst flooding disaster in its history. Thousands of lives were lost to the floods and hundreds of thousands of houses were submerged. Farmlands were inundated and thousands of animals perished. It is likely to take Pakistan long years to recover since majority of the Pakistani economy is dependent on agriculture and livestock breeding.
The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has been carrying out large-scale emergency aid works since the start of the floods and has launched permanent social projects in areas where flood waters have begun receding. The foundation was laid for 100 houses that will be built initially in three regions. The houses will be built and equipped in two months.
The IHH teams first laid the foundation for permanent houses in Kuralsharif, Bala and Ismailkhan areas of Nowshera District. In the region for the ceremony, Ahmet Sarıkurt, vice president of the IHH, noted the houses would be handed over to the families fully equipped within two months. Recalling that the floods have destroyed mud brick houses but left concrete ones intact, Sarukurt informed the IHH-built houses would be concrete and therefore resistant to floods. “Flood waters in northern areas have started to recede but they have not in southern areas. The IHH has initiated permanent projects in areas where waters have receded. We first laid the foundation for an initial number of 100 houses. The families who have lost their houses in flood do not want to leave their villages despite all. However, it should be remembered that 1,250,000 houses were destroyed in the floods. This shows the vitality of the project we are carrying out. Highlands are going to come under extreme winter in a few months. The house problem of the Pakistani people should be solved before winter,” he said.
The 60-square-meter houses will cost $5,500 each and will include two rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom, Sarıkurt said and added that the houses would be built in all affected areas and would be handed to victim families fully equipped.
