Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Monday that the provincial government had completed one million houses for families affected by floods under the Sindh Peoples Housing Programme. He added that the government aims to build a total of 2.1 million climate-resilient homes across 23 districts.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the achievement, Shah said all completed houses had been geo-tagged and verified through a digital monitoring system to ensure transparency.
He said the World Bank had contributed $500 million to the housing project, while the Sindh government provided another $179 million from its own funds.
The chief minister also acknowledged the support of the Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and European Investment Bank in making the programme possible.
Highlighting the project’s impact on women, Shah said hundreds of thousands of women in rural Sindh had become homeowners for the first time. He said registering houses in women’s names had given them greater security, dignity and financial independence.
Shah said the government was now focusing on providing clean drinking water, sanitation and drainage facilities in flood-hit communities. Under a joint investment of around $1 billion, these basic facilities will be extended to 4,800 villages.
He added that the housing initiative had allowed affected families to build their own homes rather than depend on contractors.
The chief minister said the Sindh Peoples Housing Foundation (SPHF) had managed the project through a digital monitoring system with a team of just 40 people.
Recalling how the programme began, Shah said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had instructed the provincial government to provide houses to flood-affected families, despite initial doubts about whether such a large project could be completed.
He said talks with the World Bank started in September, and the required arrangements were completed by January, paving the way for construction work.
Shah described the housing programme as an effort to turn a major disaster into an opportunity to provide safer homes to vulnerable families. He said beneficiaries now felt more protected during rainfall because of the newly built houses.
He further said the provincial government was in talks with the World Bank on water, sanitation and hygiene projects. Efforts were also underway to address drinking water shortages, improve agricultural water management and resolve issues affecting the Indus Delta.
The chief minister reiterated the government’s commitment to completing the remaining houses under its target of 2.1 million homes.
He also appreciated the SPHF team, development partners and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for their contributions to the initiative.
Shah said the people of Sindh, who had rebuilt their homes through their own determination and hard work, were the real heroes of the programme.