31. Flood Blog by Ar. Yasmeen Lari - Disaster response strategy
KARACHI
Floods in Pakistan have wrought havoc in all provinces, and only a well thought out programme can provide relief to the millions that are displaced today. Since the government institutions are not interested in following zero carbon economical building techniques the provision of housing will remain slow leaving a vast number not only shelter-less but also suffering from hunger, malnutrition and water related ailments.
In order to deal with the inactivity in the humanitarian field, I have devised the following strategies:
1. Holistic model @ Rs. 42,800 per household.
This model is based on my Adopt-a-Village programme requiring fund raising by partner organizations and based on my pilot of 1,000 households in Pono Village. Two more partners are committed to take this model forward each with at least 1,000 families each. These are Ms. Safeeyah Moosa of Spiritual Chords,South Africa and Mr. Faiz Kidwai representing Rotary International.
2. Basic Shelter mocdel @ Rs. 30,000 per household
This model is based upon my ‘Build a Shelter’ Programme and has been adopted by several partners.
a, Zero Carbon One room prefabricated bamboo cottage for each household and shared prefabricated bamboo eco toilets.
This provides dignity and safety and allows families to incrementally add other elements to fulfill their needs.
Several partners have built varying numbers of these units notable among them:
Bank of Punjab
Dr. Sarwat in Muzaffargarh
3. Food Secure Dosti Villages model @ Rs. 1,800/household to sponsors
This model is based on my ‘Adopt a Destitute Village’ programme into Food Secure Communities through help of Sponsoring Villages
This strategy builds upon the goodwill and generosity of villages that have become self-sufficient as a result of the holistic model. 13 of Yasmeen Lari’s Zero Carbon villages have adopted 130 destitute villages to run the programme. The only input from outside sponsors for the provision of a water handpump, a solar panel and bags of lime in order that platforms could be built with lime/earth brick.The entire training programme for destitute villages is being carried out by the sponsoring villages. So far 60 villages (4,000 families) are on their road in growing vegetables, breeding fish and chicken rearing.
4. Mutual Help Villages model @ Zero Cost to sponsors
This model is based on the mechanism of mutual help among communities relying on the destitute villages own meagre contributions in order to reduce hunger.
This model depends upon the community itself purchasing items and services from Barefoot Entrepreneurs. Only those villages are being taken up which are adjacent to agricultural streams/canals.
The programme has been initiated recently and judging from the response of downtrodden villages, there is great chance of them becoming food secure.
Flood Blogs
Disaster Response Strategies
by Yasmeen Lari
24 March 2023
Topics: Flood Blogs