Pakistan will need approximately US$5.2 billion to effectively implement a relief, recovery, and reconstruction strategy, according to the Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank on November 14, 2005. Of this, US$3.5 billion is for physical reconstruction of housing, schools, health facilities, roads, and other public infrastructure. A companion report by the United Nations on early recovery will appear in a few days.

At the request of the Government of Pakistan, a joint team from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank began an assessment of the needs and reconstruction costs following the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that devastated parts of Pakistan on October 8, 2005. The assessment was launched on October 24th and completed in a record time of 19 days.

"A joint team of multiple donor organizations and the government did a fantastic job in close collaboration and worked around the clock in delivering this high quality damage and needs assessment in a few weeks," said John Wall, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan.

The assessment, carried out in close coordination with the Government of Pakistan, sets out clear guidelines for a comprehensive recovery approach that will meet the needs of the affected people. These guidelines call for a common framework adopted by all organizations and institutions involved to ensure consistency and equity across rehabilitation efforts.

The assessment estimates the overall damage to the earthquake-affected areas in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will require US$3.5 billion for reconstruction, with a large proportion of losses concentrated in housing, public infrastructure (schools, hospitals, etc.), physical infrastructure (roads, water supply, etc.), energy, power, fuel, and economic sectors like agriculture, livestock, industry, and services.

According to the Government of Pakistan, at least 73,000 people were killed in the NWFP and AJK, with 3.5 million persons displaced and an estimated 1.6 million persons without adequate food supply. The government is attaching highest priority to ensuring rehabilitation of vulnerable groups, especially the disabled who need extra care and attention in the aftermath of this devastation.

Wall said the World Bank has already transferred US$200 million to Pakistan from the US$470 million announced on October 25th. "The rest will be available in a week or two. We will indicate further amounts on November 19th. We stand ready to do as much as needed until the job is done in a manner which does not leave anyone behind. We all need to make sure that the additional burden of this calamity does not hamper the country's overall poverty reduction efforts."

The preliminary needs assessment puts the total reconstruction cost for the main sectors under:
" Social Infrastructure: Private Housing US$1,552 million; Health US$303 million; Education US$472 million; Environment US$151 million; Public Administration US$72 million.
" Physical Infrastructure: Transport US $416 million; Water Supply and Sanitation US$32 million; Irrigation US$10 million; Energy Power and Fuel US$40 million.
" Economic Sectors: Agriculture and livestock US$300 million; and Industry and Services US$155 million.

"The tsunami experience showed that coordination, aid utilization, and accountability need to be prioritized in the reconstruction process," said Peter Fedon, ADB Country Director in
Pakistan. "We also need to ensure active local participation in the reconstruction process, which will be undertaken jointly with our development partners. We are fully prepared to work with the government to rebuild following this tragedy and will announce our further contributions at the donor conference on November 19th."

In the joint needs assessment, ADB focused on the education, transport, water, energy, and agriculture sectors, while the World Bank concentrated on livelihood restoration, housing, health, industries and services sector, and environment. Cutting across these sectors, the World Bank team also conducted an economic assessment and assessed hazard risk management and social safeguard needs. ADB, meanwhile, assessed the institutional capacity for reconstruction.

The World Bank