The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank on Tuesday approved financing totaling $1.692 billion for five projects in Sindh, the province most affected by the recent floods.
Three of the five programmes help vulnerable populations by supporting rehabilitation, home reconstruction, and crop production restoration. Two of the three projects have a combined value of $500 million, while the third is only worth $292 million.
While the other two projects fund moms’ and kids’ health care. Each undertaking will cost $200 million. This $200 million will go toward the Sindh Integrated Health and Population Project, which aims to improve the quality and accessibility of nutrition, maternal, infant, child, and adolescent health and reproductive services. The restoration and rebuilding of the health infrastructure that was harmed by the floods and impeded the provision of these services would also benefit from it.
“Sindh was the province worst affected by the 2022 floods. There were huge damage to the housing, health, and agriculture sectors and people lost their livelihoods. Beyond the rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged houses and infrastructure, our engagement in the flood response effort is an opportunity to strengthen resilience, and reform institutions and governance structures”, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine stated.
The $500 million Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project, according to the World Bank, will aid in rebuilding damaged infrastructure, offering short-term livelihood possibilities, and enhancing government preparedness for catastrophes.
“The project will help restore and improve critical irrigation and flood protection infrastructure, water supply schemes, roads, and related infrastructure.
“A community-level cash-for-work program will provide short-term income support to approximately 100,000 households. This will include semi-skilled and unskilled labor and will support livestock restocking for affected smallholder livestock farmers,” the report continue to read.
The $292 million approved for the “Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation Project” will, meantime, boost agricultural water productivity, enhance integrated water resources management, and help farmers who were impacted by the floods resume crop production.
“More than 885,000 households (approximately 4.4 million people) are expected to benefit from the project. As an immediate response to the floods, the project will provide cash transfers to 800,000 flood-affected farming households to help restore crop production through the purchase of seeds, fertilizer, and other critical inputs,” the WB stated.
