{"id":3749,"date":"2023-09-13T19:00:09","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T19:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/flood-proof-houses-give-hope-against-climate-change-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-09-13T19:00:09","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T19:00:09","slug":"flood-proof-houses-give-hope-against-climate-change-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/flood-proof-houses-give-hope-against-climate-change-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Flood-proof houses give hope against climate change | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nTANDO ALLAHYAR:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prem Kumar was one of the countless Pakistanis whose homes were washed away by unprecedented floods that left behind a trail of death and destruction in a third of the country last year.<\/p>\n

Swirling floodwaters destroyed houses and farmlands in his Ram Nagar village, nestled in the suburbs of Tando Allahyar, a district in the Sindh province, forcing hundreds to flee and spend weeks in makeshift tents.<\/p>\n

But only a few kilometres away, people in the village of Pomo were largely unaffected by the catastrophe that claimed over 1,700 lives and inflicted an estimated loss of $32 billion on Pakistan\u2019s already faltering economy.<\/p>\n

Located some 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Karachi, Pomo was picked for the construction of 70 pilot settlements in 2018 under a pioneering project that aims to construct 1 million flood-proof bamboo houses in lower Sindh, a term used to designate districts located along the southern bank of the mighty Indus River.<\/p>\n

The flagship project, turbocharged by the year\u2019s unprecedented floods, is the brainchild of Yasmeen Lari, the country\u2019s first certified female architect.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0Reconstruction of flood-hit houses goes slow<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nearly 4,000 rain and flood-resistant bamboo houses have so far been constructed after the 2022 floods, primarily in the districts of Mirpur Khas, Tando Allahyar and Matyari.<\/p>\n

These elevated houses are safe from the rushing water, while their bamboo structures \u2013 pierced deep into the ground \u2013 help them bear the force of wind and water.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is indeed a huge task. Making a million houses (for a non-governmental organisation) is not like a walk in the park,\u201d Lari, 82, told Anadolu<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is not only to provide the families with zero-carbon houses, but also to make them self-dependent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The beneficiaries are also learning to grow vegetables and trees, rear chickens and breedfish in water tanks to earn livelihoods.<\/p>\n

To further fortify these rural communities against the ravages of climate change, various \u201cflood mitigation measures\u201d are also being carried out simultaneously, including laying down barriers of forests, bamboo rows, aquifer wells and porous pavements.<\/p>\n

Spurred by the massive 2005 earthquake in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the heavy floods of 2010 and 2011, Lari has long been campaigning for a \u201ccarbon and waste free\u201d Pakistan.<\/p>\n

Her Heritage Foundation of Pakistan has already build thousands of houses from carbon-free materials since 2005.<\/p>\n

Pakistan, although it emits less than 1% of the world\u2019s greenhouse gasses, is among the top 10 countries most threatened by climate change.<\/p>\n

Over the past two decades, the country has witnessed regular rain-triggered floods and heat waves that are stronger, hotter and more unpredictable.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Joint venture<\/strong><\/p>\n

The foundation has built over 200 flood-protected houses in Kumar\u2019s village, a huge relief to weary residents grappling with the physical and economic misery regularly inflicted by catastrophic rains and floods.<\/p>\n

Also read:\u00a0Floods drown hope in Punjab’s impoverished villages<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cRebuilding houses after every two to three years has become a new normal here, which not only causes losses in terms of lives and economy, but also forces us to (temporarily) migrate,\u201d Kumar, who works at a local gas station, told Anadolu<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cRebuilding devours all our savings, apart from the physical and mental pain. We have to take loans for that. But thank God, this will not be the case now. We will not have to migrate and live in shelters.\u201d<\/p>\n

A single flood-proof house \u2013 a one-room elevated unit \u2013 costs 42,800 Pakistani rupees (approximately $140). The costs are borne by the foundation and the families, who are able to pay in different ways.<\/p>\n

The bamboo huts are improved versions of the one-room mud houses, locally known as \u201cchaunra,\u201d that line the sprawling landscape of Sindh and the adjoining Indian state of Rajasthan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not buy anything from the market. We simply use materials that are available locally, such as lime, clay, bamboo and thatching,\u201d Naheem Hussain Shah, who oversees the project, told Anadolu<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a joint venture. We bear the cost of bamboos, thatching and lime, whereas the family works as labourers and gets the clay,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The cost also includes a water hand pump, which serves eight families in a village, a solar power unit for 12 families, and a toilet that is used by two families.<\/p>\n

\u2018Zero-donor model\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The foundation has recently launched another model with no external investment for each family to become self-reliant in six months.<\/p>\n

Under the project, billed as a \u201czero-donor model,\u201d the foundation trains selected community members in various steps to work toward self-reliance.<\/p>\n

Known as \u201cbarefoot entrepreneurs,\u201d these trainers then go out to teach flood-hit communities, in return for a small fee \u2013 40 rupees per household \u2013 earning a monthly income of around 50,000 rupees ($160).<\/p>\n

They basically teach local communities how to utilize \u201cuntapped resources, whether human resources, natural resources, waste and debris,\u201d said Lari.<\/p>\n

They also emphasise \u201cthe strength of the community to work together to achieve a better quality of life through their own efforts,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

According to the foundation, at least 173,000 families benefited from this model from April to August: 120,000 have become food secure, 15,000 have built their own toilets and 10,000 have made their one-room houses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n