Sindh Floods Rehabilitation

Site Report - Monitoring for BBSwVM for IOM Implementing Partners

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enews - IAP Workshop at Mohak Sharif

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enews - BBSwVM Technical Training workshop (2nd - 9th June)

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On March 16th, a visit to HF projects in village Mohak Sharif and village Dost Mohammad Khokar in Tandi Allahyar was made by teams of DFID and IOM along with Mr. Mahmood Shah, landlord of Mohak Sharf. Mr. Naheem Shah, PM, HF conducted the teams to the two villages where they were shown the work so far completed including 49 shelters, 46 emergency shelters as well as a 24’x16’ Village Centre and a Women’s Centre.

As of March 12th, a 3-room primary school and a small health facility constructed in Village Darya Khan Shaikh, District Khairpur have been completed. Construction of a 1-room school has been started in Village Uthero. The work in Darya Khan Shaikh and Uthero has been undertaken with support from Swiss Pakistan Society.

As of March 1st, with the completion of 50 emergency shelters in village Dost Mohammad Khokar in District Tando Allahyar to date the following shelters/housing units have been completed:

As of January 15th, construction of the Village Centre completed (size 16’x24’), where a Masters’ Training Programme was conducted by Mr. Saad Khan and Mr. Naheem Shah. A circular ‘Chora’ room of 15’ diameter has also been completed dedicated to gathering of women.

Build Back Safer with Vernacular Methodologies

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Description

2022 Floods

by Ar. Yasmeen Lari

The devastation is unprecedented. 33 million people have been displaced which means over 5 million families consisting of women and children are shelter-less and vulnerable, soon with winter months to deal with.

The traditional ways particularly the International Colonial Charity model which relies on handouts and intermediaries have proven to be ineffective in the face of major disasters because of their limited outreach and treatment of affected people as supplicants and fostering dependency. I would like for it to be replaced by humanistic humanitarianism.

The enormity of the present 2022 Flood requires a paradigm shift in the structure of the culture of giving.

For many years now I have been working on developing and fine-tuning the philosophical basis of Barefoot Social Architecture, the tenets of which have been used extensively in the last few years in the projects implemented by the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan.

Barefoot Social Architecture (BASA) Tenets

1. Maximizing the potential of the existing ‘Barefoot Ecosystem’ - applying 3 Zeros: Zero Cost (to the donor)/Zero Carbon/Zero Waste methodologies leading to Zero Poverty.
2. Focus on social and ecological justice through humanistic architecture fostering pride, dignity, and well-being, and preventing depletion of the planet’s resources.
3. Delivery of unmet needs through Barefoot Entrepreneurs or BEs with a particular focus on women – Barefoot Incubator for Social Good and Environmental Sustainability(BISGES) for training in affordable products for BOP.
4. Low tech, low-impact non-engineered structures for shrinking the ecological footprint in construction, using green skills and sustainable, locally sourced materials.

BASA Culture of Giving:

To handle the enormous calamity, we need a paradigm shift from charity to empowerment, from dependence to self-reliance, from women being suppressed to placing them in the lead. I want knowledge sharing for and capacity building of communities and most of all women. I want to use technology and connectivity for direct communication. I want large-scale training and knowledge transfer to enable communities to take care of themselves.

Principles:

No to handouts, no to charity!

No intermediaries. Don’t put money into a black hole.

Raise funds for long-term engagement with chosen communities.

Components of BASA Giving:

1. Adopt a Village – Guardians take up a village or cluster of villages for an emergency, rehabilitation, development, and long-term engagement.
2. Barefoot Knowledge Depository with a worldwide contribution
3. Climate-smart Training by experts around the world

Following these principles, Heritage Foundation with several partners has begun implementing several methodologies to relate to different situations:

1. Adopt a Village

Utilization of funds available with Guardians for establishing a basic level for living on an incremental basis through participatory approaches and appropriate training,

Emergency Phase:

• Emergency LOG shelters
• Emergency Eco Toilets
• Half scale LOG for classrooms and play areas for children

After return to Previous Habitat:

1. Rights-based elements:

• LOG converted into a permanent structure
• Eco toilets made permanent – making compost from solid waste
• Water supply (raised hand pump)
• Pakistan Chulah stove on an earthen platform

1. Flood water drainage and protection:

• Aquifer trenches and wells
• Using excavated earth for making protective low walls
• Earth lime boundary walls (prevent hazardous bushes in boundary walls)

1. Preparedness for Disaster

• Lime earth raised platforms to prevent flood damage
• Storing water and food items
• Solar rays water purification
• Large platforms for storing grains or use for village performances during non-disaster times
• Community forests on the boundary
• Aquifer trenches and aquifer wells
• Using earth from excavation to make bunds.
• Plant Neem and lemon trees close to shelters.

1. Community buildings

• Women’s Centre with monitor and computer for meetings and connectivity
• Low-cost health center
• Low cost school
• Re-erect half scale LOG for school children
• Low-cost dispensary

1. Livelihoods:

Shelter-related livelihoods to be organized during the emergency shelter phase

Other livelihoods to be taken up after return should include the following for which training can be arranged:

• Providing unmet needs of surrounding communities by making affordable products
• Green products: earth lime brick making, lime slaking
• Kashi/terra cotta products: terra cotta tiles, toilet basins etc.
• Bamboo products: vegetable containers, doors /windows, prefab products, benches, tables etc.
• Nursery products: saplings, vegetable gardening, community forests and plantation
• Mother earth products: cow dung/wood dust briquettes, organic soap
• Pakistan chulah making and marketing
• Other green products and crafts may be possible in the area.

What is Barefoot Knowledge Depository:

Low impact, low tech, locally sourced, locally fabricated products and procedures:

• Construction techniques
• Waste- less Sanitation
• Water conservation
• Aquifer related procedures
• Environment related
• Water-related livelihoods – fish farming, making ponds for next year
• Alternative farming practices
• Preventive health procedures
• Compendium of local knowledge and remedies
• Disaster preparedness (cont.)

What is Climate Smart Training:

• Zero/low carbon construction
• Dealing with displacement – women, children, men
• Flood protection techniques
• New farming techniques
• Living with flood threats
• Occupations after floods (contd.)

Floods of 2010

As in the rest of the country, the province of Sindh also suffered enormously through the Floods of 2010. Even before the affected communities were able to pick up the pieces, excessive rains in Lower Sindh produced a greater disaster than ever before.

Clearly, the enormity of the disaster in the aftermath of the 2011 floods requires innovative solutions for providing shelter to a vast majority at an accelerated pace.

The latest figures indicate that at least 0.8 million houses are either fully or partially damaged (PDM A Sindh/OCH A). When viewed in the context of the background of the 2010 floods, we know that last year only a fraction of the required housing units could be built due to various constraints. It is clear that conventional approaches are once again likely to prove inadequate in the face of a much greater calamity, where the devastation has spread over a vastly extended area with a much greater number of displaced households.

Clearly, it has become imperative to devise low cost alternative approaches to provide shelter options which would include maximum participation of affected households themselves. At the same time, in view of the danger of annual flooding, it has become increasingly important that DRR capabilities are built-in within the new struc- tures to enable the communities to survive within their original habitat during the course of floods. The strategies and approaches to deal with the present crisis must be worked out with a view to enable the affected households to restart their lives immediately after the waters begin to recede, with minimum dislocation, least loss of life and minimum loss of livestock.

In collaboration with DFID and IOM, in October 2011, Heritage Foundation undertook the task of creating a training and implementation framework for innovative architectural/engineering solutions for speedy rehabilitation/reconstruction of shelters, based on DRR cross cutting theme. These methodologies have been developed to enable affected communities, donors and IPOs in undertaking shelter rehabilitation and shelter reconstruction at an accelerated pace. The framework thus developed maximizes participation of households including women by utilizing their own skills and capabilities.

Basis of Lari Strategy

The strategy has been developed by Heritage Foundation CEO Ar. Yasmeen Lari, in the light of research on construction materials and techniques carried out in various districts of Sindh, as well as experience gained in working in post-disaster communities since 2005Earthquake in Northern Pakistan. The approach is based on provision of sustainable and low cost options derived from traditional techniques and participatory mechanisms that would lead to attain- ing immediate shelter by strengthening the capabilities and skills of communities themselves.

Guiding Principles

• Utilize Heritage and tradition for involvement of communities and for fostering pride and self-confidence.
• Use sustainable materials to prevent environmental degradation.
• Use local skills and techniques for speedy delivery.
• Incorporate DRR-driven Methodologies to withstand next flooding.
• Utilize Shelter provision for entrée into communities for larger benefits and for initiating women’s economic empowerment strategies.
• Develop holistic models aiming at MDGs: hygiene, WASH, food security, nutrition, literacy.
• In the long term develop training modules for implementing partners, volunteers, artisans, and communities.

Guidelines for scaling up and speedy implementation

• Create an implementation structure for speedy delivery.
• Establish certification procedures for artisans for production of technically sound vernacular constructions.
• Form Mobile teams for ease of access to villages.
• Demonstrate improved vernacular methodologies through prototype/model units.
• Establish reporting, monitoring and evaluation procedures based on agreed-upon indicators.
• Establish technical back-Stopper arrangement using internet and technology.
• Ensure that each unit has certification as a DRR-compliant structure.

Mechanismm

Awareness in DRR measures and sensitivities towards gender empowerment and conflict resolution measures will be built-in in the learning outcomes of the training programme.

Throughout the programme, a mechanism of quality control and certification will be put in place, for which Mobile Barefoot KaravanTeams (MBJT) will be trained for field work and monitoring, in coordination with Heritage control centre (HCC). HCC will develop training modules, technical guidance and information, as well as liaison with CSC, MBKT and Implementing Partners.

For smooth functioning of the project and transparent procedures, the disbursement of funds will be the responsibility of the Imple- menting Partners, and will be distinct from training, monitoring, evaluation and certification, which will be the responsibility of Heritage Foundation..

We are confident that based on improved vernacular construction techniques incorporating DRR methods developed by Heritage Foundation over the years, these sustainable and economical op- tions will provide the critical direction for communities to become strong, self reliant and resilient. The implementation procedures through a process of certification and several monitoring tiers will ensure that all shelters constructed using Heritage Foundation methodology will have strong walls and safe haven KaravanRoofs for safety during next floods. In addition to safety of life, other DRR methodologies being recommended by Heritage Foundation, will provide safety of rations, potable water, livestock and fodder. Such interventions, comprising raised earthen platforms, will also provide the much needed sports and cultural nodes, which we are confident, will lead to transformation in the lives of village communities.