The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) announced the construction of 1,000 homes for families displaced by the devastating 2022 floods in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab provinces, the organization confirmed in a statement released on October 23.
The agreement to construct the homes was formalized in early October between Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and KSrelief, following the signing of cooperation programs by officials from both sides.
“KSrelief has announced a major initiative to build 1,000 permanent houses for families in KP and Punjab who were displaced by the devastating 2022 floods,” the charity organization stated. “This project is part of a broader series of public facilitation initiatives announced by KSrelief.”
Of the 1,000 homes, 590 will be constructed in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan, while 410 will be built in Punjab’s Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan districts.
Each house will include two rooms, a kitchen, and a washroom, providing “safe and permanent” housing for approximately 7,000 people in the flood-hit regions. The project aims to support the “recovery process” and improve the long-term well-being of affected communities, the statement added.
Engineer Ahmed Ali Al-Baiz, Assistant Supervisor General of Operations at KSrelief, signed the cooperation programs with NDMA Chairman Lt. General Inam Haider, marking the official launch of the initiative. Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki, who has been actively supporting various development projects in the country, also endorsed this housing project.
The initiative follows a series of natural disasters that have plagued Pakistan, including the deadly monsoon rains and subsequent floods earlier this year. In July, heavy rainfall triggered floods and landslides in KP and Punjab, resulting in nearly 250 deaths. Pakistan remains one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent.
The Saudi charity, known for its vast humanitarian budget, has undertaken projects in over 80 countries. Pakistan, the fifth-largest recipient of KSrelief’s aid, has received significant assistance, particularly after the 2022 floods, which claimed over 1,700 lives and caused economic losses of around $30 billion.