Pakistan

Background

The continuous four days of rains in the head catchments areas of the Swat, Kabul, Siren, Unhar, Kunhar, and Neelum Rivers in the last week of July 2010 resulted in devastating flash floods. The rise of the water level in the rivers ranged from 15 to 25 feet, depending on the width of the rivers. These unexpected and unprecedented floods mainly damaged flood plain area. Standing crops were submerged, link roads damaged, houses constructed on level ground were ravaged, and livestock washed away. The extent of the damage in the plains was so high that attention from the Government and international agencies concentrated in these areas. The head watershed areas were unfortunately ignored where the damages and impact of the floods in 2010 was different than the plain areas.  

UNDP, with support from the European Union and the Government of Japan, developed the Early Recovery Project for AJK and KPK to support the sustainable rehabilitation and recovery of these areas. This project works towards the rehabilitation of irrigation channels and the stabilization of landslides and river bank cuts damaged by the July 2010 floods. The primary responsibility of this initiative was given to UNDP’s Environmental Recovery Programme for Earthquake Affected Areas project (Env.RP), which had already been working in AJK and KPK for the stabilization of landslides and integrated watershed management.  

Objectives

To stabilize the landslides and riverbank cuts triggered during the 2010 floods in the Neelum district of AJK and Battagram, Shangla, and Kohistan districts of KPK; and

To rehabilitate the damaged irrigation channels during 2010 flood in district Neelum of AJK

Key Achievements

Pakistan Administered Kashmir

So far 27336 beneficiaries in Neelum have benefitted from the Early Recovery Programme, with 7651 male, 8506 female and 12189 children.  

28 intakes of irrigation channels were constructed in 3 Union Councils of the Neelum district. High-density polyethylene (HDP) pipes were also provided to channels at sections of landslides where reconstruction was not possible. The total volume of PCC for intake structures was 8935 cubic feet (cft).

In district Neelum, the following engineering structures were completed for stabilizing landslides and river bank cuts: Twenty Gabion spurs at six sites, Seventeen Gabion check dams at five sites, Three Gabion retaining walls at three sites, One diversion channel above a landslide

The total volume of gabion structures was 109,640 cft and the total volume of loose stone structures was 19966 cft.

Khyber pakhtunkhwa

25,580 beneficiaries have benefitted from from the Early Recovery Programme in KPK, with 8,000 male, 6,510 females and 11,010 children  

In Battagram the flowing engineering structures were completed for landslides & river bank cuts stabilization;Eighteen Gabion spurs at five sites, Loose stone wall at one site and
Two Loose stone check dams at one sites,

In district Shangla the flowing engineering structures were completed for landslides and river bank cuts stabilization; five Gabion spurs at five sites, five Gabion Retaining at five sites

In the Kohistan district the flowing engineering structures were completed for landslides & river bank cuts stabilization;Six Gabion spurs at three sites, one Gabion check dams at one site
Five Gabion retaining walls at five sites, one loose stone retaining wall at one site

The total volume of gabion structures constructed in KPK is 124,221 cft, and the total volume of loose stone structures completed is 6474 cft.