Mott MacDonald helps provide disaster risk reduction in Pakistan

Mott MacDonald has been appointed by the Department for International Development-funded Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) to provide technical assistance to Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) for a climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction project in Punjab, Pakistan.

In 2010 the Punjab province was affected by catastrophic floods. Since then the PDMA has been managing the post disaster reconstruction programme. As part of this programme ‘model villages’ which include schools, houses, health centres and other community infrastructure to replace those destroyed by the floods are being developed. The Government of Punjab is proposing to develop similar villages in the region, which will be exemplars for reconstruction in other flood-affected communities. These will show how such villages can be better planned, built to higher standards and with improved community infrastructure and facilities.

Mott MacDonald is providing practical planning tools and guidance to improve the climate compatibility of post disaster reconstruction and the model villages. This includes reviewing and reporting on sample model village plans, as well as offering recommendations on how to improve the resilience of spaces and structures to future extreme climate events.

The consultancy will also provide a hazard map for Punjab province, reconstruction guidelines in English and Urdu and a policy guidance paper for the Government of Punjab. This will summarise lessons, contain recommendations and policy briefs, and will also include dissemination material for national, regional and global stakeholders.

Mott MacDonald’s project director, Simon Howarth said: “Pakistan currently has few guidelines for disaster risk reduction in the construction sector. We hope the project will enable the country to establish effective policy and give rural poor and local decision makers the knowledge needed to reduce the risk of a repeat of the catastrophe brought by last year’s floods.”

“The project builds on our extensive track record of reducing Pakistan’s vulnerability to floods and other natural disasters and showcases our climate change and adaptation strategy skills and ability to deliver practical solutions,” added Simon.

“CDKN responded to a request for support from the Government of Pakistan to ‘build back better’ after last year’s devastating floods,” said Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, CDKN’s Asia Director, based at independent non-governmental organisation LEAD Pakistan. “Not only is this a strategic project for Pakistan, it is also a test-case for climate compatible development that promises to offer lessons for the international community dealing with adaptation.”

The project is due for completion in March 2012.