World Bank approves $300mln loan for projects in Sindh

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank on Wednesday approved $300 million in financing for two projects in Pakistan including the Sindh Resilience Project and the Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Project (SWEEP).

“These investments would bolster Pakistan’s efforts to build resilience to natural hazards such as floods and droughts in Sindh, and strengthen solid waste management in Karachi to tackle recurrent urban flooding and public health emergencies in the city,” the bank said in a statement on Wednesday.

Najy Benhassine, country head of World Bank Pakistan said building resilience to natural disasters and health emergencies is an important and urgent agenda in Pakistan that would help save lives and protect the economy.

“The debilitating impact of recent floods in Karachi, droughts and extreme rainfall in Sindh, and of course the Covid-19 pandemic, make it imperative that risk reduction investments strengthen multi-sectoral dialogue and coordination at the city, provincial, and national levels to ensure protections for vulnerable communities and fight the spread of disease,” Benhassine added.

The $200 million Sindh Resilience Project additional financing would help the government better manage climate and disaster risks, including floods, droughts, and public health emergencies.

The project would strengthen linkages between disaster risk management and the health sector by establishing the Sindh Emergency Service to strengthen capacity for disaster preparedness and emergency response, including health crises such as Covid-19.

The project would also improve irrigation infrastructure to protect vulnerable communities living in rural areas, directly benefitting 750,000 citizens in drought-prone areas of Kirthar ranges and the Nagarparkar region in the Tharparkar District.

Ahsan Tehsin, team lead of Sindh Resilience Project Task said the establishment of Sindh Emergency Service will greatly enhance the government’s responsiveness to natural disasters and emergencies, particularly in a megacity like Karachi where many lives are lost due to insufficient emergency medical services.

“The project would also improve water security for rural communities that suffer from chronic malnutrition and poverty and were forced to migrate due to water insecurity,” he added.

SWEEP, a $100 million project, aimed to improve solid waste management services in Karachi for the more than 16 million residents, and upgrade critical solid waste infrastructure to reduce urban flooding and public health risks.

The project focuses on emergency waste removal to restore storm water drainage capacity before the next monsoon season, especially in vulnerable communities around drainage and waste collection sites.

The project would improve living conditions for at least half a million residents of Karachi and increase protections for workers by introducing safety protocols that improve labour conditions.

SWEEP also addresses deficiencies in existing solid waste infrastructure by constructing and upgrading critical infrastructure, such as collection, transfer and disposal facilities.

It also leverages the Competitive and Livable City of Karachi Project (approved on June 27, 2020) to advance long-term planning, policy reforms, and behavioural changes required to improve the solid waste management sector.

SWEEP Task Team Leader Suhaib Rasheed said that engaging citizens and community members, including informal workers, was essential for sustainable and safer waste management solutions.

“Equally important is a focus on financial sustainability, which will require continued efforts to develop private sector partnerships and sustainable revenues streams to offset the costs of delivering these vital services.”