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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s southern Sindh province this week presented &ldquo;the world&rsquo;s largest climate-resilient housing reconstruction programme&rdquo; at COP30 in Bel&eacute;m, showcasing the Sindh People&rsquo;s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) as a global model for gender-responsive climate recovery.&nbsp;Launched in the aftermath of Pakistan&rsquo;s devastating 2022 floods, which displaced more than 15 million people, SPHF aims to rebuild 2.1 million multi-hazard-resistant homes, directly benefiting more people than the populations of 154 countries, according to program leadership.&nbsp;The 2022 floods devastated Sindh, affecting over 14.5 million people and causing the highest share of Pakistan&rsquo;s national losses, according to official estimates by provincial disaster management authorities.&nbsp;&nbsp;Up to 2.1 million houses were damaged or destroyed, hundreds of lives were lost, and more than 8,000 people injured. The floods also killed 1.2 million livestock, destroyed 3.6 million acres of cropland, and damaged over 13,000 kilometers of roads, disrupting livelihoods and food security.&nbsp;Sindh bore the largest portion of Pakistan&rsquo;s economic losses, highlighting the urgent need for climate-resilient reconstruction.&nbsp;Speaking at the COP30 side event Women Leading Climate Action in Sindh through SPHF, Khalid Mehmood Shaikh, the program chief, emphasized the initiative&rsquo;s unprecedented reach and people-centered design.&nbsp;He said the program&rsquo;s success was &ldquo;rooted in strong political will and the engagement of the best private sector partners,&rdquo; noting that transparency and digital monitoring were central to its implementation.&nbsp;Shaikh explained that SPHF began with $500 million from the World Bank and Rs50 billion ($178.2 million) from the Government of Sindh, but the initial allocation was not enough to meet the massive reconstruction need.&nbsp;&ldquo;While the initial funding was not sufficient to construct 2.1 million houses, a robust system was established&hellip; Through these efforts, SPHF mobilized $2 billion to achieve the entire reconstruction target,&rdquo; he said, citing additional financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and further support from the World Bank.&nbsp;Shaikh reported significant on-ground progress: &ldquo;Under the SPHF program, we have opened 1.5 million bank accounts, 1.45 million houses are under construction, and completed 650,000 fully constructed houses.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;A scale of climate-resilient recovery unmatched globally.&rdquo;&nbsp;He highlighted that 800,000 women are direct beneficiaries, with land titles for each house issued in women&rsquo;s names, describing this as &ldquo;the largest residential asset transfer in the history of Pakistan,&rdquo; aimed at securing long-term resilience for &ldquo;those most vulnerable to climate change, including women-headed households, widows, and elderly women.&rdquo;&nbsp;The program drew strong commendations from international development partners.&nbsp;Noelle O&rsquo;Brien, director of Climate Change at ADB, said, &ldquo;SPHF demonstrates what true resilience in action looks like, placing women at the center of adaptation, finance, and governance.&rdquo;&nbsp;She added that this is &ldquo;the kind of scalable, gender-responsive model the world needs,&rdquo; emphasizing the importance of linking financial inclusion, resilient infrastructure, and community leadership to reduce long-term vulnerability.&nbsp;Daouda Ben Oumar Ndiaye, manager of the Climate Change &amp; Environment Division at IsDB, said the bank was &ldquo;proud to support this initiative,&rdquo; calling it a benchmark for global climate adaptation.&nbsp;&ldquo;IsDB&rsquo;s focus on gender integration ensures women, widows, and the elderly are not only included but prioritized,&rdquo; he said, adding that the bank is working to create synergies in Sindh through integrated health and women&rsquo;s empowerment projects.&nbsp;SPHF&rsquo;s reconstruction efforts extend beyond housing.&nbsp;A large-scale Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) component valued at $600 million is underway to deliver clean water and sanitation facilities to 4,000 villages and 450,000 households.&nbsp;Program leaders said the WASH initiative is essential for addressing vulnerability in communities repeatedly affected by climate-driven disasters.&nbsp;Technology forms a central pillar of the program&rsquo;s governance model. SPHF&rsquo;s management system facilitates direct bank transfers, real-time progress monitoring, and digital verification to strengthen transparency, enable financial inclusion, and reduce leakages.&nbsp;As governments and global institutions at COP30 explore pathways for equitable climate action, SPHF was presented as a replicable example of large-scale, gender-responsive climate recovery.&nbsp;Its combination of public-private partnerships, digital transparency, and community empowerment was offered as a blueprint for climate-vulnerable nations seeking resilient and inclusive reconstruction models.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan’s southern Sindh province showcased its SPHF program at COP30 as a global model for climate-resilient, gender-focused reconstruction after the 2022 floods, mobilizing $2 billion to rebuild 2.1 million homes, empower women, and set a benchmark for inclusive recovery.

At COP30, Pakistan’s Sindh unveils ambitious climate-resilient housing blueprint

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s severe monsoon floods have left more than 5.8 million people affected nationwide as swollen rivers hit Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and now risk Sindh.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) posted a statement on September 9 that heavy rains since late June have inundated wide areas of the country, forcing the evacuation of 2.4 million people.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About 94,000 displaced residents are staying in 1,630 evacuation centers. At least 922 people have died and more than 1,000 have been injured, according to the National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan (NDMA).<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The crisis is particularly dire in Punjab, where rivers remain dangerously high. Authorities declared an emergency in Multan on September 9 after flooding affected some 140,000 people. The Chenab, Sutlej and Ravi rivers are running at critical levels, forcing large-scale evacuations.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, flood-affected districts are battling not only rising waters but also a surge in disease.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More than 725 dengue cases have been confirmed in Charsadda, prompting the provincial government to deploy entomologists for containment efforts. Damage to health facilities has left thousands in need of medical assistance, OCHA reported.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/16a61077-03a0-44f6-b3ef-a67f2bbbaaa0-2025-09-12T155924Z_1150093001_RC26QGAOVS2T_RTRMADP_3_ASIA-WEATHER-SOUTHASIA.JPG" alt="2025-09-12T155924Z_1150093001_RC26QGAOVS2T_RTRMADP_3_ASIA-WEATHER-SOUTHASIA.JPG" style="max-width: 100%; width: 1438px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">SIYAL, Pakistan (Sept. 12, 2025) &mdash; A resident stands with a tub of laundry in a flooded area after monsoon rains and rising Indus River levels inundated Siyal village in Dadu district of Sindh province. (REUTERS)</figcaption></figure> Sindh is bracing for what officials warn could be a &ldquo;super flood,&rdquo; a large and highly destructive flood, typically involving water flows over 900,000 cusecs, especially in rivers like the Indus. The Indus River has overflowed its banks at Guddu and Sukkur barrages, with officials on high alert as up to 800,000 cusecs of water are expected to pass through.&nbsp; In Thatta, villagers trapped by encroaching waters have turned to boats for food and supplies after Chhachh Lake overflowed, submerging several settlements, Dawn newspaper&nbsp;reported. Local residents have appealed for urgent reinforcement of river dykes, with some accusing irrigation officials of neglect.&nbsp; In Larkana, authorities are working to reinforce sensitive river embankments like Moria Loop and Hakra Loop to prevent breaches, while Japan International Cooperation Agency experts are scheduled to review vulnerable sites, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan. UN announces $5 million aid&nbsp;The United Nations&#39; Emergency Relief Coordinator announced on September 8 the release of $5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support urgent shelter, sanitation, health, and livestock needs. Heavy rains are expected to continue in Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan, raising concerns about further flooding and landslides. Urban flooding warnings remain in effect for Lahore, Karachi, Hyderabad, and other major cities. Officials have warned that as swollen rivers in the north flow toward the Arabian Sea, downstream provinces &mdash; especially Sindh &mdash; face increased risks in the days ahead.

Climate & Environment

Pakistan's severe monsoon floods have left more than 5.8 million people affected nationwide as swollen rivers hit Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and now risk Sindh.

Articles tagged with "Sindh"

At COP30, Pakistan’s Sindh unveils ambitious climate-resilient housing blueprint

Sindh on high alert as Indus nears dangerous levels