After massive disasters, such as the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Pakistan, the process of supporting recovery and reconstruction continues long after the newspaper headlines have moved on. On 8 October 2005 a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit northern Pakistan, sending shockwaves across an area of 30,000 km². It killed more than 80,000 people, injured another 70,000 and made 3.5 million homeless.
Nearly four and a half years later, the reconstruction effort is still ongoing. To date, approximately $6bn has been committed by the Government of Pakistan and the international community to respond to social needs and rebuild the infrastructure destroyed by the earthquake. The Government of Pakistan has led this effort under the banner "Build Back Better".
Crown Agents started working with the Government of Pakistan, funded by the UK Department for International Development in February 2006. In order to lay the foundation for longer term recovery, the priority in those early months was to support the Government in establishing the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (ERRA). ERRA was the body charged by the Government to lead and coordinate the reconstruction effort. With our help ERRA has been rebuilding schools and hospitals, supporting livelihoods through cash grants, rehabilitating roads, energy and telecommunications facilities, and much more - across hundreds of projects.
Initially our support focused on ensuring that ERRA had adequate systems in place that would enable it to discharge its duties. This included advising on planning its reconstruction programme, designing systems to support project design and approval, monitoring and evaluation, communications and management information systems. Given that the earthquake-affected area was so remote, it was essential that ERRA could operate in a decentralised manner. This meant ensuring that the headquarters in Islamabad could work effectively out to the most distant of the affected areas.
The objective of this support was to ensure that from the earliest stages of recovery the Government had a capable organisation that could take the lead in planning and implementing the reconstruction effort. Planning for the long term reconstruction activities from the outset has ensured that the recovery has been much stronger than it would otherwise have been.