2.5mn housing units required to cater demands

Muhammad Waqas Anjum, Assistant Director, Provincial Housing Authority (PHA), said that around than 10 million housing units including 2.5 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were required to cater the growing housing demand of people in the country.

Muhammad Waqas Anjum, Assistant Director, Provincial Housing Authority (PHA), told that Pakistan was facing a shortfall of around 10 million houses including 2.5 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said Naya Pakistan Housing Program has conducted a survey regarding shortfall of houses and revealed that five million houses of five marla were required in Pakistan including 7,50,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Waqas said 2,62,500 kanal land was needed for construction of these five marla housing units. He said Peshawar was facing a shortfall of 104, 897 houses while 58,309 houses required in Mardan, 65,749 in Swat, 39,981 in DI Khan, 39,919 in Swabi, 39,712 in Charsadda, 38,244 in Mansehra, 37, 313 in Nowshera and 35, 282 in Lower Dir.

He said about 32,751 were needed in Abbottabad, 28,697 in Bannu, 24,646 in Haripur, 24,421 in Kohat, 23,255 in Upper Dir, 20,048 in Buner, 21,529 in Lakki Marwat, 19,281 in Kohistan, 18620 in Shangla, 17,699 in Malakand, 17,355 in Karak, 17,748 in Hangu, 11,711 in Batagram, 10,992 in Chitral, 9,629 in Tank and 4,211 in Torghar.

He said only 6,500 kanal land was available in Peshawar, 560 kanal in Swat, 377 kanal in Charsadda, 300 kanal and 8,300 land in Hangu for construction of affordable houses.

Waqas Anjum said the current demand for new housing units was growing at the rate of 600,000 houses per year and

we add five lakh more houses than 1.1 million units per annum would be required to clear the existing backlog of 10 million houses in next 20 years.

He said 15 housing projects including work on Hangu township on 8,400 kanal was launched in KP to cater people requirements.

The official said that 10,500 housing units in Hangu would be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs10 billion in next three to five years.

Three high rise buildings at Nishtarabad, Warsak-I and Warsak-II in Peshawar are being launched where 900 residential flats would be constructed, he said, adding consultants were hired for Warsak-I covering 4.14 kanal and Warsak-II of 3.8 kanal costing Rs3,500 million.

Similarly, a 20 storey high rise building on 36 kanal would be constructed at Nishtarabad in Peshawar City where 300 low-cost residential flats to be built for the

-APP underprivileged and poor families. Similarly, 2,056 residential flats were constructed for industrial workers with an estimated cost of Rs5.93 billion at Shahi Bala.