Pakistan Humanitarian Bulletin - Issue 11, 23 Dec 2010

I. SITUATION OVERVIEW

Population movements in Sindh continue to pose challenges as displaced persons move into newly established camps and towards areas of origin. Schools and other public buildings which had been hosting IDPs are now reported to have been vacated in all districts other than Qamber-Shahdadkot, in northern Sindh, where a remaining 1,800 people are due to be relocated this week. The dynamic situation means that the overall number of people currently in camps in the province is not clear, though the camp coordination and camp management cluster reports that many of those who are still displaced will be unable to return to their homes before winter passes.

The situation in Punjab is markedly different, with the vast majority of displaced persons having returned to their areas of origin, and many already rebuilding their homes. However, the road to recovery will be a long one, and significant support from the humanitarian community continues to be required. Given the changes in the situation since the relief phase, partners are preparing to launch an extensive village-level profiling exercise, which will form the basis for a prioritised and integrated early recovery effort, focusing on the worst-affected union councils in the province. There is already agreement that scaled-up support for the reconstruction of one-room shelters will be a key element of this effort though gaps in coverage are huge (current commitments by shelter cluster partners indicate projected coverage of less than 40 per cent of the estimated number of destroyed houses) and cannot be addressed without massive support from the donor community.