Publication: Pakistan Earthquake 2005: The Case of Centralized Recovery Planning and Decentralized Implementation
Date
2014-05
ISSN
Published
2014-05
Author(s)
World Bank Group
Abstract
Located in South Asia, Pakistan is the
sixth most populous country in the world. Pakistan is
divided into four provinces, a state and federally and
provincially administrated territories. The country is
exposed to several types of natural disasters, prominent
among which are earthquakes, floods, droughts, cyclones and
landslides. Recurring floods formed the bulk of the natural
disasters to have struck Pakistan since the country’s
formation, with the collective toll of the floods prior to
the earthquake of 2005 leaving 6,700 people dead.
Windstorms, though less frequent, have also been devastating
for Pakistan. As of the earthquake of 2005, the windstorm of
1965 remained the most fatal natural disaster in the
country’s history, claiming about 10,000 lives. The
devastation caused by the earthquake of 2005, however,
eclipsed all previous disasters. Reacting decisively to the
earthquake, the government established a new reconstruction
agency, the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Authority (ERRA) to lead, coordinate and oversee
reconstruction. This case study, based on comprehensive
literature review and interviews with key stakeholders,
presents the highlights of the post-earthquake
reconstruction process. It outlines the decision-making
processes in recovery planning and extracts best practices
and key lessons learned from the experience.
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2014. Pakistan Earthquake 2005: The Case of Centralized Recovery Planning and Decentralized Implementation. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29570 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”