Asian Development Bank's inspection team has stressed upon irrigation officials for resettlement of thousands of displaced families currently settled near Indus and non-Indus dykes before heavy floods, sources privy to irrigation department told Business Recorder, here on Thursday.
The rehabilitation work of Indus and non-Indus dykes is running with the amount of loan which Sindh government had got in the first week of April 2011 due to non-availability of funds. ADB team visited rehabilitation work of Indus and non-Indus dykes in district Thatta. Gender experts of the team expressed grief over the damages of houses, which were established near the bunds and stressed upon the officials for resettlement of thousands of families.
The officials replied to team that families that were settled near the bunds had illegally occupied the land of irrigation department so that they would not resettle them. However, lady gender experts of ADB team replied that ADB loan agreement and government has to follow that at any cost. Besides, gender experts told them that not only they have to resettle displaced families but also provide them clean drinking water and other basic facilities at their doorstep, sources added.
They said that during the visit, the team inspected rehabilitation work of L.S bund, M.S bund and other dykes which is continued on the sites. A high level official of irrigation department told Business Recorder on condition of anonymity that there are hundreds of thousands of families displaced from bunds due to recent heavy floods, so it would be very difficult to resettle all of them. He said that the matter is under consideration and final solution would be found very soon in this regard.
Meanwhile, the inspection team would visit all sites of rehabilitation schemes of Indus and non-Indus dykes and would prepare a report in this regard, sources said. It would also monitor the structure and functions of Project Management Cell, which is also under process of formation by the irrigation department, and look after all rehabilitation schemes which are running with the loan of the bank. The PMC would consists on the officials and staff of irrigation department while a few people proposed by ADB would also be the part of PMC, sources added.
It is pertinent to mention here that ADB team had arrived here a few days ago for the inspection of rehabilitation work of Indus and non-Indus dykes. With the approval of team, Sindh government would reimburse the amount of rupees five billion for rehabilitation work from the received loan of $405 million from ADB. The team would stay in Karachi for a few days more until the inspection work is completed.