Past experience the world over of such activity in the aftermath of natural disasters shows that the most efficient and cost effective methodology is to give money directly to the affected house owners for rebuilding their homes.
They are able to procure the right building material at cheaper rates and also manage to reduce the cost by self-participation with hired labour in construction work. Government system of construction is more expensive as contractors have to price in the kick-back for winning the contracts plus speed money for timely payment.
Also, the quality of their work is poorer unless supervised by the owners. The way government owned buildings collapsed in Muzaffarabad, in the October 8 quake in stark contrast with private buildings, is reflective of the quality of work in government system. Obviously people will have to be guided regarding construction through community participation.
Before finalising any standard model home, we must help the affected people to salvage any useful material from the wreckage of their property. Reusing G.I. sheets, wooden planks, doors or windows, etc can reduce the cost of reconstruction considerably. This would, of course, require time and labour. Foreign donor agencies, on the other hand, are endeavouring to give pre-fabricated houses.
Local organisations are also following suit. Earmarking areas to them would be a real problem because the job in affected areas is far larger than the national and international response thus far. Therefore, it is all the more essential that we make the best use of the scanty resources available for the benefit of maximum number of quake victims. Experts from various NGOs and international organisations can guide and help the affected people. But the final choice must remain with the community.
ERRA's role is critical in providing leadership in relief and re-construction. Dialogue with local communities, civil society, and the private sector, including major individual donors, would help in drawing up a result oriented operational programme. Encouraging the affected communities to identify their needs and securing their participation will enable ERRA to devise imaginative reconstruction plans and also evaluate end-results.
Community-led approaches must be complemented with effective internal controls and external auditing. ERRA must also develop accessible grievance procedures, including corruption reporting channels, with the help of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). NAB's existing arrangement with Transparency International will be helpful in putting in place a similar system borrowing from the countries affected by tsunami.
Home rebuilding is only the first step. Redevelopment of infrastructure in the devastated areas of NWFP and Azad Kashmir - roads, schools, hospitals, and other government buildings - is equally important. The public procurement procedure under the PPRA Procurement Rules 2004, unfortunately, only applies to federal procurement. Provinces are yet to incorporate these rules into law in their jurisdiction.
The Governor of NWFP and the Government of Azad Kashmir must also issue ordinances in line with PPRA Rules 2004. These rules also provide for emergency procurement and as such would not be an obstacle. It is very important to give all donors - governments, corporate or other business entities and individuals - a feeling of comfort that anti-corruption safeguards are in place: Wastages would be effectively minimised, and duplication avoided. Utilising the services of Transparency International (available gratis) through NAB by ERRA would give added comfort to multilateral organisations, especially the United Nations, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, leading the funding for reconstruction in the quake devastated areas.