WORLD FOOD PROGRAM

Overview & Cash/Food for Work Project

Overview:

 

Widespread and heavy rains in August 2011 caused renewed and devastating flooding across Pakistans Sindh Province. According to a Joint rapid Needs Assessment (led by the National Disaster Management Authority, WFP & OCHA ) across 16 districts of Sindh, around 5.44 millions people were affected by the disaster, which make up almost 25 percent of the provinces total population. More than 361,000 houses were entirely destroyed, with a further 304,000 partially damaged. Some 67 percent food stock and 73 percent of crops in affected districts were destroyed or damaged: while 36 percent of livestock perished. With large parts of the land submerged by standing waters, more than 1.8 million people were displaced from their homes, many of whom were forced to seek temporary shelter along roadsides, river embankments and in public buildings. Irrigation and drainage infrastructure in most of the areas has been badly affected. Most of the minors / distributaries in districts Tando Muhammad Khan, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar and Umerkot in the command of left Bank and Nara Canal Area have been damaged in the devastating flood.

 

Cash/Food for Work Project:

The Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) in collaboration with the World Food Program started “Cash for Work/ cash for Food Project” to provide employment to the flood affected people and rehabilitate the Irrigation & Drainage system. The SIDA included the local labor in the project, and under the project Distributaries/Minors were excavated, the banks were cleared of the wild vegetation, and the cuts and breaches were filled to restore the canal’s capacity. The garbage that had accumulated in the canal was swept and whatever loss that was incurred by the heavy rainfall of 2011 was repaired. The canal’s capacity was restored to its fullest so that the growers of the canal head and the tail end could benefit from the water properly and irrigate their lands. The Cash for Work project not only served for the rehabilitation of Distributaries/Minors, but also, Rs. 5000/ Food items were given to each labor for the 15 days work which would be beneficial for their livelihood.