Action Against Hunger Rehabilitates Roads in Pakistan

by Employing a Food-for-Work Programme

5 January 2007- The earthquake of October 2005 devastated parts of Pakistan, but it left the Manoor Valley less seriously damaged than other areas in the Himalayas. Even so, the Valley is a high-altitude area prone to chronic food shortages during winters, and now the situation is worse because of high market prices related to the quake. Infrastructure—including secondary roads, footpaths, irrigation channels, check dams, field terraces, and retaining walls—has also been damaged, and livelihood options are few.

Monitoring by Action Against Hunger predicted a potential food insecurity among the Manoor Valley population this winter for a combination of reasons:

• Early winter and heavy snows were predicted.
• Roads and market access were impaired because of damage to the infrastructure, potentially leading to further food shortages and increases in food prices above already inflated post-earthquake levels.
• Food stocks are low due to reduced agricultural productivity and loss of other livelihoods caused by the earthquake.
• And, aggravated by earthquake costs, the local asset base is depleted. 

In response, rather than simply distribute food, Action Against Hunger has launched a short-term Food-for-Work programme that aims to encourage the rapid rehabilitation of vital community infrastructure and serve as a winter contingency project to provide food to remote households having limited access to markets.

Local beneficiaries employed by the programme are rehabilitating footpaths and secondary roads, irrigation channels and field terraces. Community-based organisations are helping to prioritise and organise the projects, recruit workers, and monitor each project’s progress. The rehabilitated roads and footpaths will significantly improve access to the valley’s villages over the course of the winter, and rehabilitated irrigation canals will increase access to water and enhance agricultural productivity.

The project will employ nearly 1,300 workers and benefit nearly 8,000 villagers.

***ENDS***

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