WB stops financing ‘coal-fired power projects in Sindh’

Karachi
The World Bank informed the Sindh government on Monday that it had stopped financing coal-fired power generation projects in the province mainly out of its concerns over the environment.
This was revealed to Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah as he along with his top aides in the provincial set-up met World Bank Country Director Illango Patchamuthu at the CM House.
The CM was assisted in the meeting by Senior Minister for Finance and Energy Syed Murad Ali Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Aijaz Ali Khan, Secretary Finance Sohail Rajput.
The chief minister urged the World Bank to assist his government in low-cost power generation. "We have one of the largest coal reserves in the world, enough to meet our energy requirements for centuries. We want you to help us in generating environmental-friendly coal-fired energy in the province."
The chief minister urged the World Bank to finance coal-fired power generation in Sindh. At this, he World Bank representative said that the bank had stopped funding coal-fired power generation for certain reasons such as environmental issues.
Shah reminded him that the bank was financing coal-fired power generation in South Africa. "Keeping in view that instance and our dire need the World Bank must consider our request.”
Shah also said that the World Bank could help his government in acquiring new technology to generate environment- friendly and cheap coal-fired energy.
At this, Illago assured him that he would talk to his management to help the Sindh government.
Senior Minister for Finance & Energy Syed Murad Ali Shah said that at present, the World Bank was providing support for different projects in the agriculture sector in the province.
A Rs112,360 million-Sindh Agriculture Growth Project was worth mentioning, he added.
He said another World Bank project of Rs30,139.75 million, Sindh Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Enhancement Project, was to be launched shortly and it would be completed by 2020-2021.
The additional chief secretary (Dev), Aijaz Ali Khan, said that the irrigated agriculture productivity project included community water infrastructure improvement and mitigation of flood risks.
He said another World Bank-assisted project in the pipeline was a Rs500 million-Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Project, which was aimed at improving the quality and diversity of diets through nutrition sensitive agriculture.
The chief minister said the agriculture sector had substantial role in reducing nutritional gap among population. "But it is stagnant on different counts, including retardation of soil fertility, old fashioned cultivation practices and lack of cropping zoning and diversification," he said.
The finance minister said he was also a grower and had understanding that through this project three main inter-connected components such as food production and management, advocacy, coordination, awareness and capacity building would be achieved.
The chief minister urged the World Bank country director to help Sindh to explore the avenues of overseas employment opportunities for skilled youth.
"Under Benazir Youth Development Programme we impart training to our youth in 70 different trades. If a chunk of our skilled youth is provided with overseas employment opportunities it would be a great help to reduce our burden and shape up their career," he said.