After a catastrophic earthquake in Pakistan, swift action by ADB and other development partners led to one of the most successful recovery efforts ever undertaken.
Mushtaq Ahmed was collecting firewood when the earth began to shake. His legs gave way.
“It was the most horrific moment of my life,” he says. “I sat there, holding my head, watching houses on hillsides tumbling downwards. My wife died in the rubble.”
Mushtaq was among the millions who suffered on 8 October 2005 when Pakistan was struck by the worst natural disaster in its history.
At 8:52 a.m. on that day, a great swathe of the mountainous northeast regions of Pakistan was rocked by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake. An estimated 73,000 people died, and more than 70,000 were injured. The disaster left 2.8 million without shelter, and put 324,000 people out of work.
Immediate disaster assistance
Within weeks of the disaster, ADB was helping to lead what was later seen as one of the most successful and rapidly executed recovery efforts in an earthquake area ever.
In November 2005, ADB established the Pakistan Earthquake Fund to deliver emergency financial assistance for immediate reconstruction, rehabilitation, and development activities.
ADB mobilized support swiftly by designing and implementing the Earthquake Emergency Assistance Project, approved in December 2005.
“We never lost sight of the bigger challenge - repairing infrastructure that would enable people to start rebuilding their homes and businesses. ADB’s timely support was crucial.”
The grants and loans eventually totaled $448.3 million, with contributions from the European Union, and the governments of Australia, Belgium, Finland, and Norway.
ADB assembled a team to work with Pakistan’s Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority and regional bodies to identify priority reconstruction areas. Because the earthquake damaged bridges, an urgent priority was to restore road links so recovery and relief missions could get through and help survivors cope with the Himalayan winter.
“We never lost sight of the bigger challenge - repairing infrastructure that would enable people to start rebuilding their homes and businesses,” says Malik Israr, chief engineer in the State Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency in Muzaffarabad. “ADB’s timely support was crucial.”
Improved infrastructure and services
Over the course of the project - from December 2005 to June 2011 - $148.2 million of financing helped mend or build 301 kilometers of major roads, 492 kilometers of link roads, and 53 major bridges.
A typical beneficiary was truck driver Ashfaq Abbassi. Before the earthquake damaged the road between Muzaffarabad and Athmaquam, he owned only one vehicle.
“It used to take me 7 to 8 hours to travel from Muzaffarabad to Athmaquam,” he says. The road’s rehabilitation under the project cut the time in half. “Naturally I’m better off,” says Ashfaq, who now owns three trucks.
The project played a key role in restoring and expanding other crucial infrastructure. Its $24.8 million investment in restoring the electricity system started with emergency power supply to field hospitals, tent villages, and relief camps where people sought refuge after the disaster.
Eventually nine hydropower stations and 10 grid stations were rebuilt, with 450 kilometers of high-voltage lines installed and service connections provided to 84,587 consumers.
The project also trained 656 teachers and 328 school management committees in health and hygiene, disaster management, and first aid. Since its completion, school enrollment in the disaster-hit areas has increased from 46,007 before the earthquake to 52,213 students. In reconstructing 435 primary and middle schools, pre-engineered materials were used for quality control and to speed up work.
Twelve-year-old Sanwal Maqbool lost his mother and two sisters in the earthquake. He is now able to go to a safe, well-equipped school where he can try to build a better future. Sanwal’s marks place him second in his class. “The school has waived my fees and given free books to students like me,” he says.
ADB’s assistance also helped restore health care services in the earthquake area. Funding of $25.6 million financed the reconstruction of three major hospitals and 26 rural health centers.
Another important achievement was the rebuilding of more than 400,000 houses. Not only did the project enable thousands of people to take charge of constructing their own homes, it created jobs for workers. Unemployment in the affected area fell from 35% in 2005 to 13% in 2011.
Support for vulnerable groups
An innovative outreach feature incorporated the concerns of vulnerable groups of women, children, and the physically challenged into the disaster response.
Funding under a special livelihood support project component provided 6-month grants to 282,000 of the most vulnerable families headed by women. Free land and the land titles were given to 1,316 women, and the health and education facilities provided under the project all had dedicated areas for women, children, and the physically challenged.
This article was originally published in Together We Deliver, a publication highlighting successful ADB projects across Asia and the Pacific that demonstrated development impacts, best practice, and innovation.
