The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank said they would start an assessment in Pakistan on Monday of the needs and reconstruction costs after the devastating earthquake two weeks ago, Reuters reported. With winter closing in, an estimated 2 million survivors are still waiting for help in the rugged Himalayan foothills where 50,000 people are known to have died. Donor countries have pledged just $86 million of the $312 million the United Nations has said is needed for immediate aid. The Manila-based ADB said its part of the assessment would focus on education, transport, water, energy and agriculture, while the World Bank would concentrate on livelihood restoration, housing, health, the private sector and the environment. The joint team is expected to submit its report by mid-November, the ADB said in a statement on Friday. "Efficient coordination is crucial at this stage to ensure that work is carried out as quickly as possible according to our respective strengths and experience," said Peter Fedon, the ADB's country director in Pakistan. The World Bank team will also conduct an economic assessment, assess hazard risk management and social safeguard needs, with the ADB assessing the capacity for reconstruction. "The first thing is to provide all possible assistance to the communities affected by the earthquake," John Wall, the World Bank's country director for Pakistan, said in the statement. "At the same time it is imperative that the country's poverty reduction programme does not lose steam." The day after the Oct. 8 earthquake, the ADB reallocated $10 million from ongoing projects for emergency assistance in the worst affected areas and said it was prepared to significantly increase the amount. The World Bank has announced $40 million to be redirected from existing projects and has said the amount would run to hundreds of millions of dollars, as soon as it was useful.
