Monitoring & Evaluation Services Malakand Reconstruction & Recovery Program Progress Report # 6

The program's primary objective is to provide essential services to the affected communities and promote economic growth in the region. The program's implementation arrangements involve the engagement of consultants, including Al-Kasib Group of Engineering Services, to provide monitoring and evaluation services. The consultants are responsible for overseeing the progress of work, identifying potential issues, and providing recommendations for improvement. As of the end of January 2011, the program's progress was as follows: in Swat District, 67 schools had been tendered, with work orders issued for 42 schools and work underway on 27 schools. In Dir Lower District, 18 schools had been tendered, with work orders issued for 18 schools and work underway on most of the schools. In Buner District, 12 schools had been tendered, with work orders issued for 12 schools and work underway on 12 schools. The program's water and sanitation (WatSan) schemes in Buner and Swat have been identified, and relevant documents have been prepared for their implementation. The design for Basic Health Units (BHUs) has been completed, and scheme identification is almost complete. Work is underway on the Government of Pakistan (GoP) funded Afzal Khan college in Matta, Swat. The first milestones have been completed for 5 schools in Dir Lower and 1 school in Swat. However, two of these schools are not included in the First Allocation of Release (FARA) I or FARA II. The consultants have been actively engaged in meetings, site visits, and photographic documentation, and have reported construction problems, issues, and their resolutions to the USAID Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR). Quality control operations have continued, covering testing of concrete cylinders and approval of materials sources. Work is underway on some activities for flood-damaged assessment for schools for which the Task Order is yet to be approved. Materials samples for road work on Barang road have been collected by AGES staff for testing in the laboratory of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar. However, several issues require attention, including the rational for the initial release of funds, the need to expedite progress of work on all sites, and the implementation of the USAID branding policy for under-construction schools. Additionally, the proposed expansion of materials testing laboratory facilities in Swat and Dir, and the establishment of a laboratory in Buner, are constrained by delays in approval of the Task Order.