The Saudi Contribution to the Humanitarian Response for Internally Displaced and Crises Affected Population in Pakistan Communi

The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Contribution to the Humanitarian Response for Internally Displaced and Crises Affected Population in Pakistan

Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation in 6 tehsils of District Swat

PAK-09/ER-119

Progress Report

As of March 20, 2013

A. Project Summary:

Name of Project Community Infrastructure Restoration & Rehabilitation in 6 Tehsils of District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Initial Approved USD 5,397,300 Funds

Additional Approved USD 2.2 M Funds

Project Target Restoration and rehabilitation of 585 damaged community infrastructure schemes (Link roads, Small bridges, culverts, streets, drainage Channels)

Geographic Focus Six Tehsils including Babozai, Charbagh, Kabal, Khwazakhela, Matta Khararai, Matta Sebujni) of District Swat

Approximate 937,593 individuals including 453,407male and 484,186 female Beneficiaries

B. Background

Pakistan has seen waves of extremist violence since 2002 when the Taliban government in Afghanistan was toppled by a US-led coalition. Remnants of the Taliban crossed the porous Afghanistan-Pakistan border to take refuge in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA). Soon Pakistan saw an emergence of Pakistani Taliban who eventually built strongholds in the adjoining North-West Frontier Province (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and gained control of Swat Valley in 2007. In February 2009, the provincial government signed a peace deal with the militant group in order to stop their terrorist attacks. The ceasefire was short lived, and after a series of blatant suicide bombings, on April 27, 2009, the government launched military operations to drive out the Taliban from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; this triggered a massive humanitarian crisis.

The crisis between the militants and armed forces in Swat, Buner, Dir, and Shangla districts of Malakand Division forced over 2.3 million people to leave their homes. To compound these issues, many families abandoned their means of livelihood and during their displacement, accrued debt in order to meet basic needs. In July 2009, after the government regained control, the crisis-affected families were enabled a safe return home through the ‘Naway Sehar’ (Dawn of a New Beginning) project of the Pakistan and KPK governments, with the assistance of international humanitarian organizations. However due to a

Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation in 6 tehsils of District Swat-PAK-09/ER-119 –Progress Report as of March 20, 2013 1

prolonged gap in economic activity, the majority of crisis-affected families lacked basic income-generating options, and the displacements had depleted their minimal savings. Many families lost their source of income due to the destruction caused by the crisis, and upon their return, there were few opportunities for people to meet their day-to-day needs and revive their livelihoods. The magnitude of destruction was massive. Swat district suffered the most infrastructural damage, with some estimates comparing the levels to those witnessed after the 2005 earthquake. With the support of UNDP, the Early Recovery network undertook a Crisis Early Recovery Initial Needs Assessment (CERINA) that provides evidence-based information for priority interventions.

This crisis followed by the 2010 floods, caused enormous damage to the economy of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK); in particular to the agriculture sector. Up to 97 percent of spring crops – mainly wheat but also fruits and vegetables – were lost, as fields ready for harvest were abandoned and became inundated. To compound this dire situation, many livestock – the main asset of rural families – died. An estimated 717,000 large and 726,000 small animals were lost in the crisis area, which represents 37 percent of the total large and small animal population. In addition, a large number of watercourses, terraces and embankments were also damaged, as were many buildings, roads, street, bridges and other infrastructure, including irrigation facilities, schools, hospitals, basic health units, government offices, veterinary hospitals and research facilities were either bombed or looted and vandalized.

The impact of the crisis and floods further worsened conditions in the province already suffering from distrust of the local administration, inadequate access to basic services including access to health and education which were already insufficient for the local population. One of the worst hit sectors during the devastation of torrential rains and floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in floods 2010 is infrastructure, where some 2000 km of roads, 40 major, 40 medium and 90 foot bridges, whereas about 700 educational and 150 health facilities besides 158 government buildings were completely destroyed1.

The damage to community infrastructure and collapse of the relevant institutions deprived communities’ access to basic services and facilities. Crisis Early Recovery Initial Need Assessment report, Post Crisis Need Assessment report of KP and FATA and Flood Early Recovery Need Assessment report suggest a two pronged approach (i) community based interventions targeting rural areas; and (ii) interventions through local Government/line departments in urban and rural areas. Full community participation with strong community mobilization is also strongly recommended. The report further highlights the importance of immediate restoration and rehabilitation of community infrastructure that will provide an opportunity for peace building within and among the affected communities. The goal of early recovery programming in community infrastructure is to restore community services, functions and processes, bringing them to normalcy.

With the financial support of USD 7.6 million, from The Saudi Fund for Development, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UNDP is implementing a “Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation” project in District Swat, KP. Through this project, UNDP in coordination with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is rehabilitating 585 damaged community infrastructures schemes (link roads, drainage channels, culverts, bridges, and streets) in six Tehsils of District Swat. The interventions will improve access to services and facilities for the local community and provide the infrastructure necessary for socioeconomic uplift in the area.

1 Early Recovery Need Assessment, Floods 2010

Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation in 6 tehsils of District Swat-PAK-09/ER-119 –Progress Report as of March 20, 2013 2

C. Objectives To improve affected communities’ access to basic services and facilities by restoring and rehabilitating community physical infrastructure schemes.

D. Rapid Need Assessment and Procurement Process  To ensure ownership and to avoid duplication of efforts, series of meetings were held with different stakeholders including Provincial Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Settlement Authority (PaRRSA), District Coordination Officer-Swat, Local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), relevant Development Partners and the communities. This was followed by a Joint ‘Rapid Needs Assessment’ of the proposed infrastructure schemes to assess the ground situation by a ‘Technical Committee’ comprising of engineers from PaRRSA, local CSOs and UNDP. This committee finalized the ‘Technical Specifications, Drawings and Bills of Quantities (BoQs) Formats, ‘Selection Criteria’ for the selection of CBIs, keeping in view the topography, climate and beneficiaries needs. In total 953 damaged schemes were identified. After detailed technical assessment, 585 severely damaged schemes were prioritized for rehabilitation. This was done in consultation with all relevant stakeholders.  In order to solicit interest of the private construction firms, Invitation to Bid (ITB) was launched in two phases by the Procurement Unit of UNDP. This detailed document contained clear guidelines for the firms to apply for different packages. For ease of managing the procurement process and keeping in view the implementation capacities of the firms, the entire portfolio of 585 schemes was divided into seven packages. Detail is given in annexure-A.  To further clarify the queries raised by construction firms, pre-bid conferences were also held.  Criterion for selection was two-staged i.e. technical evaluation followed by financial evaluation. Technical committees comprising of civil engineers evaluated the bids based on the given criteria in the ITB. After getting SFD approval, UNDP has awarded contracts for the first phase to two construction firms namely M/s Hadaf International and M/s Akhunzada Fazal Jamil & Co, in the last week of September, 2012 for the rehabilitation of 207 Community Infrastructures Schemes, worth USD 1,027,256 million under Packages 1, 2 and 3. Details are as follows:

Tehsil Wise Package Awarded to Construction Firms

Total Description 1 2 3 Babuzai Charbagh Kabal

Number of Schemes 27 41 139 207 Amount in USD 126,132 168,514 732,610 1,027,256 Contracts Awarded to M/s Hadaf M/s Hadaf M/s Akhunzada Firms International International Fazal Jamil & Co

 UNDP launched ITB for phase-II in November 2012 for packages 4, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3. 5.4, 6.1 and 6.2. Preliminary, technical and financial evaluations of two packages 5.2 & 5.3 have been completed to rehabilitate 103 schemes in UCs Arkot and Gowalria, Pri Kalay & Bar Thana in Tehsil Matta Sabujni. The rest of the schemes’ (275 schemes) procurement process will be completed shortly.

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 . Final results of the evaluation will be shared with SFD for approval prior to awarding contracts to selected construction firms. Following is the summary of approved packages 5.2 and 5.3.

Package Number Total Description 5.2 5.3 Number of Schemes 61 42 103 Amount in USD 467,286 519,181 968,467 Selected M/s Akhunzada Fazal M/s Akhunzada Fazal Jamil & Firm Jamil & Co. Co.

E. Implementation Status as of March 20, 2013

 Before initiation implementation on ground, UNDP arranged orientation workshop in September 2011 for staff of the construction firms. This orientation session enhanced implementation capacity of the staff and facilitated clarity of both the parties on terms and conditions of the contractual obligations. UNDP relevant staff was engaged to conduct sessions on the following aspects:

 Clarification on the terms and conditions of the contracts  Reporting and monitoring mechanisms  Visibility aspects of the interventions  Verification and replacement of schemes  Certification of payments to contractors (necessary documentation requirements etc.)  Community involvement and ownership of schemes  Trackers updates etc.

 A three member delegation from the Saudi Fund for Development, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, inaugurated a link road in Village Kot, Tehsil Charbagh, Swat on 29 November 2012. They were accompanied by Ms. Rabia Khattak, Assistant Country Director, UNDP-CPRU, Dr. Fakhar -e- Alam, Commissioner Malakand Division, Kamran Rehman Khan, District Coordination Officer (DCO), Swat, and senior representatives from Provincial Disaster Management Authority/Provincial Reconstruction, Rehabilitation & Settlement Authority (PDMA/PaRRSA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The sites visited included a link road in village Kot and some community infrastructure schemes in village Jamalabad, Tehsil Chrarbagh, District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Mr. Abdullah Mohammad A Alshoaibi, Chief Technical Engineer, SFD shared his views, “It was a great pleasure to inaugurate the link road and monitor some schemes that are being rehabilitated by the Saudi contribution to the humanitarian response for the crisis affected population in Pakistan. We appreciate UNDP’s effort and cherish our partnership with them for the rehabilitation and development of the marginalized communities of Swat”.

Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation in 6 tehsils of District Swat-PAK-09/ER-119 –Progress Report as of March 20, 2013 4

 All 207 schemes, for which contracts were awarded to two engineering firms for rehabilitation, have been successfully completed by 28th February 2013 and handed over to communities. The rehabilitated 178,388 people including women, disabled, and children

Following table indicates the details of completed schemes:

Number of Schemes Completed as of February 28, 2013

Drainage S. No Tehsils Link Roads Small Total Streets Culverts Channels Bridges 1. Babozai 17 10 - - - 27

2. Charbagh 8 21 4 1 7 41 3. Kabal 98 20 15 1 5 139

123 51 19 2 12 207 Grand Total:

Details are attached as Annex B.

 Re-verification of 378 schemes has been completed.

 Material quality tests were conducted at source through University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar. Moreover, cylinder tests were also being carried out randomly. It is important to mention that samples for the above mentioned tests were collected in the presence of UNDP field engineers and Project Oversight Committee members.

 UNDP monitoring team and civil engineers regularly monitored the sites. Ongoing monitoring and final verification of the completed schemes were two important components of oversight mechanism. To ensure good quality of construction work cylinder tests were also carried out randomly from different sites with satisfactory results. It is important to note that samples for tests were collected in the presence of UNDP field engineers and Project Oversight Committees. To make the project a success story and develop a sense of ownership for the CBI Schemes, the UNDP monitoring team and consultant engineers were working continuously for community mobilization and as a result, the local communities took keen interest in the implementation of community infrastructure schemes. This is a positive sign which ensures community ownership and sustainability of the rehabilitated infrastructure over a longer period of time.

 As per agreed criteria, the selected construction firms have also installed sign boards on visible locations at village, tehsil and district level containing UNDP and SFD logos. Apart from this, UNDP also highlighted SFD contribution in meetings with the government, communities and other stakeholders at district as well as provincial and national level. Print and electronic media also gave coverage to the SFD interventions. Apart from this, success stories were also documented while taking views of beneficiaries. These will be further published for wider circulation amongst the relevant stakeholders.

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 By using local construction material such as coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, steel, marble strips and local labor, a lot of economic opportunities were also created to boost local economy of the area.

F. Challenges and Constraints Severe weather conditions and deteriorated security were main challenges in the field.

G. Financial Status

Following table gives the detail of funds received from SFD and expenditure made till the reporting period.

Initial approved funds $5,397,300

Additional approved funds $2,200,000

Total funds received from SFD $2,720,904

Total expenditure till date $1,027,164

Balance in account $1,674,669

Amount to be received from SFD $4,876,396

Approximate amount of contracts to be awarded to selected firms for the $3,500,000 rehabilitation of 378 schemes

Approximate remaining balance $3,070,136

H. Way Forward

 Sharing of final results of approved packages 5.2 & 5.3 (103 schemes) with SFD for approval

 Completion of procurement process of rest 5 packages (275 schemes) and sharing of final results with SFD for approval.

 Award of contracts to selected construction firms for the rehabilitation of 378 schemes.

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 Rehabilitation of 378 schemes.

 Sharing of monthly technical and financial progress update with SFD.

 Amendments to MOU for the additional approved funds $ 2.2 M.

 Identification and selection of 300 new schemes against approximate remaining funds of $ 3,051,065.  Sharing of assessment results with SFD for approval.

 After SFD approval, initiation and completion of procurement process for 300 new schemes.

 Sharing of final evaluation results of 300 new schemes with SFD for approval.

 Award of contracts to selected construction firms for the rehabilitation of 300 new schemes.

 Rehabilitation of 300 new schemes

 Submission of final technical and financial reports to SFD.

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I. Pictorial Overview

Before During After

Street Pavement Rehabilitation, Village Gat Koto, UC Dangram, District Swat

Before During After

Culvert Rehabilitation, Village Shekhano Cham, UC Sangota, District Swat

Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation in 6 tehsils of District Swat-PAK-09/ER-119 –Progress Report as of March 20, 2013 8

Before During After

Culvert Rehabilitation, Village Roshanabad , UC Charbagh, District Swat

Before During After

Street Pavement Rehabilitation, Village Laudaki, UC Gulibagh, District Swat

Before During After

Pipe Culvert Rehabilitation, Village Naway Kallay, UC Charbagh, District Swat District Swat

Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation in 6 tehsils of District Swat-PAK-09/ER-119 –Progress Report as of March 20, 2013 9

Before During After

Street Pavement Village Wali Abad, UC Gulibagh, District Swat

Before During After

Street Pavement Village Umar Bin Khitab, UC Kuz Bandai, District Swat

Before During After

Pipe Culvert Rehabilitation, Village Gat Koto, UC Sangota, District Swat

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Before During After

Street Pavement, Village Gudar Laar, UC Sangota, District Swat

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J. Success Stories:

Success Story 1: Muhalah Kuz Palao, village Gulibagh, UC Gulibagh, Tehsil Charbagh of District Swat became a conflict and disaster zone after militancy struck the region in 2009. Muhalah Kuz Palao, home to 200 households, is one of the Muhalah in the union council that was adversely affected by the militancy and received no attention in terms of social and infrastructural rehabilitation by the government. Because of the long crisis in the area, not only the infrastructure was badly damaged and destroyed but also many families lost their livelihoods.

The street that connects the Muhalah with the rest of the villages and adjoining areas was completely destroyed during militancy attacks in 2009 followed by the calamitous floods in 2010. In the absence of a proper pavement, it was difficult for the residents to pass through, especially in the rainy season, and the elderly normally avoided this route. Whether it is the children of the Muhalah, the women or the elderly all suffered due to bad condition of the street. Farmers also reported delays in carrying products to markets.

Furthermore, a ravine of water gushes aside the street often caused flooding in the street. Also, the presence of snakes and scorpions on the unpaved street were often a common sight to many, frequently resulted in near fatal accidents. Thus a need for a paved street deemed crucial for the people of Kuz Palao.

In October 2012, UNDP identified this village for its ‘Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation’ project funded by the Saudi Fund for Development, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Through this project, UNDP in coordination with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is rehabilitating 585 damaged community infrastructures schemes, including link roads, drainage channels, culverts, bridges and streets in six Tehsils of Swat District. The intervention aims to improve the communities’ access to basic services and facilities.

UNDP, together with the community of Village Gulibagh has provided relief to villagers by rehabilitating 1,350 Rft long and 7.5 Rft. wide street, benefiting 2,850 people, including 798 are females and 912 are children.

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Before Rehabilitation After Rehabilitation

It was made possible with the generous contribution of the Saudi Fund for Development, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that the people of the village finally have improved access to their village and to other areas and children are now going to school without any difficulty. With the reconstruction of a paved street and the clearing off of garbage from the site, people were not only facilitated in walking more comfortably but also were rendered safe from epidemics and dangerous reptiles.

A Lady Health Worker, resident of Kuz Palao expressed her gratitude towards UNDP and commented, “My job requires a lot of moving about within the area and the adjoining locations. It was very difficult for me to cross the street, especially in the rainy season. Now I have easy accessibility to all my clients.”

A fish farmer expresses his view, “Moving from home to the fish farm and back was a practice I dreaded the most considering the fact that I carried my equipment to and fro, had to stay vigilant to avoid encounters with fatal reptiles and also make sure that my clothes weren’t dirtied on days of overflows. However, the construction of the paved street has solved my problem and now I can walk freely through the street without any trouble”.

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Success Story 2:

Damghar link road, Union Council Bara Bandia, Tehsil Kabbal, District Swat connects two major villages namely Imam Dheri and Ghorijo, with a population of 4,913 and 4,494 households, respectively. Before the construction of this connecting link road, the communities of both villages faced problems in visiting each other and accessing the basic facilities, especially during rainy season.

In 2012, UNDP identified this village for its ‘Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation’ with financial support from The Saudi Fund for Development, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Through this project, UNDP in coordination with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is rehabilitating 585 damaged community infrastructures schemes, including link roads, drainage channels, culverts, bridges and streets in six Tehsils of Swat District.

After assessing the condition and importance of this link road, detailed BOQ was developed for the rehabilitation of this link road to improve the lives of people by improving their access to other areas and basic facilities and services.

Mr. Khalid Khan and Mr. Momand Khan, inhabitants of the above mentioned villages, shared their satisfaction over the construction of the link road, “We are extremely great full to UNDP and The Saudi Government for rehabilitating this link road. Before the rehabilitation work, it was difficult for us to cross the villages especially during the rainy season. Often we had to cancel our visit to other areas due to bad condition of the road. Even in clear weather, driving on this road demanded your full attention and best judgment. However, now it is no longer the case and we enjoy easy and improved access to both villages and other areas”.

Farmers of both villages are also happy as the rehabilitation of this link road has also improved their access to near markets. The farming community of the area, while expressing their experiences, shared “it was difficult for us to transfer our machinery and other agriculture inputs to field due to bad road conditions. Timely transportation of products to market was also very difficult. We are thankful to UNDP and The Saudi Government for improving our access to markets. Timely transportation of products to markets has also increased our income”

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With the construction of the road, the property prices of the area have also gone up which has improved the economy of the area.

Another beneficiary, Mr. Rahmat Ali, a student of grade five expressed his gratitude, “Before I had to carry fire word and dry straw on my shoulders that was extremely difficult to manage. Now I can use my wheel barrow to carry these items. Rehabilitation of this road has not only provided me relief but also saved my time. Now I can give more time to my studies”

Success Story 3:

Bara Bandai Union Council in Swat District became a conflict and disaster zone after militancy struck the region in 2009. Lingole, home to 180 households, is one of the villages in the union council that was adversely affected by the militancy.

The people of Lingole, victims of this complex emergency, now toil towards rejuvenating the living standards they once possessed. Because of the long crisis in the area, not only the infrastructure was badly damaged and destroyed but also many families lost their livelihoods.

Khawaja Street Osakay leading to the village had long been neglected by the government and was reckoned by the locals as a garbage dumping site, injurious to their health. The villagers believe that the accumulation of garbage in the street was the main cause of several diseases in the past and even proved fatal at times. In the absence of a proper pavement, it was difficult for the residents to pass through, especially in the rainy season, and the elderly normally avoided this route.

Community Infrastructure Restoration and Rehabilitation in 6 tehsils of District Swat-PAK-09/ER-119 –Progress Report as of March 20, 2013 15

The intervention aims to improve the communities’ access to basic services and facilities. UNDP together with the community of Lingole paved the damaged Khawaja Street Osakay and improved the lives of the marginalised and vulnerable.

Street Pavement before rehabilitation Street Pavement after Rehabilitation

To reach school, the children have to walk to cross the village and commute via public transport and/or school vans. “The street we used to cross to go outside our village was broken and had potholes at several places. During rain, there developed huge puddles that made it difficult for us to cross the street. Whenever it rained, it was impossible for us to reach our school without getting our uniforms dirty. I often got into trouble for that,” says Haseeb Khan, 11, a resident of the village, stated.

The decision to pave the street was made in consultation with the community. It was made possible with the generous contribution of the Saudi Fund for Development, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that the people of the village finally have improved access to their village and to other areas and children are now going to school without any difficulty. With the reconstruction of a paved street and the clearing off of garbage from the site, people were not only facilitated in walking more comfortably but also were rendered safe from epidemics and fatal diseases. “I can freely ride through the street without the fear of falling off from my bicycle,” Haseeb Khan further.

Another beneficiary, an old citizen of the village, expressed his gratitude to UNDP and stated: “I had long preferred staying home rather than stepping outside. The bad condition of the main street of my village never allowed me to move outside alone. Whenever I had to go outside, I preferred to take one of my family members because I feared stepping over potholes in the street. I am grateful to UNDP and its donor for rehabilitating this street. Now I can easily walk outside without anyone’s assistance.”

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