Pakistan, hit by devastating floods in 2022, utilised a mere 29.4 per cent of donor funding for flood projects out of the total pledged amount of USD 3.36 billion by international donors and local funds of USD 364 million till May, according to a media report on Wednesday.

A meeting to review the progress of flood recovery held on Tuesday was told that the financial progress of 29.4 per cent was achieved by utilising USD 1.091 billion till May countrywide (by both federal and provincial governments), The News International newspaper reported.

The federal government has so far utilised USD 258.89 million against the allocated funds of USD 829.4 million, the 4th meeting of the International Partners Support Group (IPSG) at the Prime Minister’s Office here, chaired by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, was told.

Tuesday’s meeting was told that Balochistan province showed the lowest financial progress of 1.7 per cent; progress achieved by Sindh remained 41.2 per cent; the financial progress of Punjab stood at 100 per cent, while that of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa achieved the financial progress of 3.5 per cent.

According to UNICEF, the 2022 floods submerged one-third of the country, affecting 33 million people, half of whom were children. The floods damaged most of the water systems in affected areas, forcing more than 5.4 million people to rely solely on contaminated water from ponds and wells.

Ranked as the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change according to the Global Climate Risk Index, a UN report has warned that Pakistan will experience increasingly severe extreme weather events.

The total damage from the devastating floods in 2022 that hit 33 million people in Pakistan 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 newspaper report said the meeting marked almost two years since the devastating floods of 2022 and was aimed at reviewing the progress of flood recovery and realigning efforts for a resilient Pakistan ahead of the next monsoon season.

Cheema emphasised 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.

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