Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki assured the Sindh government that his country would support the provincial government for the rehabilitation of flood victims in the province after the devastating flooding last year.
Pakistan was lashed by unprecedented monsoon rains over the summer that put a third of the country underwater, damaged two million homes and killed more than 1,700 people.
Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Shah in Karachi on Thursday.
Syed Murad Ali Shah informed the visiting Ambassador that his government wanted to construct homes with two rooms, a corridor, kitchen and washroom for the flood-affectees. The chief minister told the dignitary that the remodelling of the agriculture and irrigation sectors is a significant challenge for his government.
He expressed determination that with the help received from the donors’ conference, the promise of rehabilitation of affectees will be fulfilled.
The Saudi Ambassador congratulated the Sindh Chief Minister for successfully holding the donors’ conference. He assured that Saudi Arabia will cooperate with his provincial government in the construction of homes for flood affectees.
Following the flood-caused devastation across the country’s landscape, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched an $8 billion flood aid appeal at the one-day International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva last month.
Cash-strapped Pakistan managed to secure over $10.5 billion in flood pledges which would be materialised in three phases — short-term for up to one year, medium-term for up to three years and long-term for up to five to seven years period — for the reconstruction of flood-affected areas.
The country, with a $350 billion economy, secured commitments worth $8.57 billion by the end of the plenary session I, while it managed to secure over $2 billion in the second session.