KARACHI: The Sindh government has completed construction of 1 million homes for survivors of Pakistan's devastating floods, marking what officials describe as a historic milestone in one of the world's largest post-disaster housing programs.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah announced the achievement at a ceremony, saying the Sindh People's Housing Program is now expanding toward a target of 2.1 million climate-resilient homes across 23 districts.
"This was an unimaginable project that became a reality," Shah said. "Today we are celebrating one million homes."
The program, funded with $500 million from the World Bank and $179 million from provincial coffers, empowers affected families to build their own homes rather than relying on contractors. Each home is geo-tagged and digitally monitored for verification, officials said. Additional support came from the Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and European Investment Bank.
Shah credited Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, with driving the initiative. He recounted that when he initially told the chairman the project was not feasible, Bhutto responded: "You start the work. Making it possible is now my job."
Officials highlighted women's empowerment as a signature achievement: millions of women in rural Sindh have become homeowners for the first time, with properties registered in their names.
"Registration of a home in a woman's name is not merely property, it is protection and dignity," Shah said.
The provincial government is now pursuing drinking water, sanitation and drainage projects, with roughly $1 billion in combined investment planned to bring basic services to 4,800 villages. Shah said his administration is also working with the World Bank on water conservation and Indus Delta needs.
The housing effort follows catastrophic flooding that displaced millions across Pakistan. Shah contrasted Sindh's progress with another province he visited where residents remained without homes 18 months after flooding.
The 1 million homes "belong to me," Shah said, adding that the program's true heroes are the people of Sindh "who built their homes with courage."
