Sindh PDMA budget cut by 35.9pc despite heatwaves, flood forecasts

karachi: The allocation for the Sindh Rehabilitation Department for the financial year 2024-25, in the country’s most climate change-prone province, has dropped by Rs254.4 million. This represents a 35.9 per cent reduction in the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) budget.

The allocation figure, excluding Foreign Project Assistance as reflected in the budget documents, shows a decline despite the unprecedented heatwaves in the province and the forecasts of massive monsoon rainfalls in July.

The rehabilitation department’s allocation has remained sporadic over the past decade or so. In 2011-12, Rs145 million was allocated. The budget was increased to Rs500 million in both 2012-13 and 2013-14.

It was then decreased to Rs360 million in 2014-15,

increased to Rs650 million in 2015-16, raised further

to Rs692 million in 2016-17, reaching Rs700 million in 2017-18.

The budget dropped again to Rs400 million in 2018-19, further to Rs381 million in 2019-20 before being increased significantly to Rs1.805 billion in 2020-21 and peaking at Rs2.3 billion in 2021-22, then it was slashed again to Rs1 billion in 2022-23 and further to Rs708 million in 2023-24.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had said in his budget speech in the provincial assembly on Friday that there are no new schemes in the current budget.

The same was reflected in the rehabilitation department’s budget, which has the same four development schemes from 2023-24. The development schemes of the rehabilitation department did not make significant expenditures in the outgoing financial year.