Pakistan

Background

UNDP Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) Pakistan has been involved in developing and testing the energy efficient housing technologies in Pakistan. Currently this technology is being applied to three districts of Sindh province in Pakistan.

In these districts, the houses are made of thatched materials especially wood. This puts immense pressure on this natural resource. Wood is also used for heating and cooking and this exasperates the problem. The houses are not energy-efficient or safe. This area is prone to natural disasters and people are unable to rebuild their houses or meet the energy needs as 86% of the population of Thatta and Badin live below the poverty line.

Objectives

To improve the living conditions of the poor through environmental management for sustainable development.

Key Achievements:

• Living standard of 500 families in Badin, Thatta and Karachi districts improved and communities live in safe and sound environment.
• About 1000 Local skilled and semi skilled masons, laborers, fabricators, artisans trained to construct the UNDP GEF SGP Energy Efficient Housing Technology themselves.
• Solar lanterns provided to 500 houses and village/cluster level solar street lights provided to the community.
• New technology introduced through the use of sun dried Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB) instead of baked bricks in the construction of these houses thus reducing greenhouse gases emissions from brick kilns