ISLAMABAD, Aug 30: The World Bank's funding programme for Pakistan's water sector projects is likely to crystalize by the end of next month amounting to more than $5 billion over a period of seven to eight years, Dawn has learnt.
A senior government official said a delegation of the bank, comprising Don Black, Usman Qamar and Pervez Amin, would hold a meeting with federal government officials here on Tuesday as part of the bank's 'water projects assistance strategy process'.
Officials of the water and power ministry, chairmen of the Wapda and Irsa and representatives of other agencies concerned would attend the meeting.
Sources said the government would unofficially share with the World Bank the parliamentary committee's recommendations on water resources on the development of new reservoirs.
Later, the bank's delegation would visit all provinces to meet provincial irrigation authorities so as to give a final shape to its water sector funding strategy.
Pakistan had offered $25 billion worth of water and irrigation projects to international lenders at the Pakistan Development Forum in March for funding through concessional windows to contain its water shortfall, presently estimated at 11 million acre feet or 10 per cent of its total water requirement and are expected to rise to 31 MAF or 21 per cent.
The bank has so far held about three rounds of discussions with Pakistan authorities since March to finalize not only a funding programme but also to put in place an umbrella strategy to deal with other development partners and the transfer of technical know how and relevant information and development of major projects.
A senior government official said the government had not specifically mentioned any water reservoir for development but has been exchanging with the lenders information relating to all projects like Bhasha dam, Kalabagh dam, Skardu dam, Akhori Dam, Munda dam and many others.
Pakistan is currently in implementing water sector projects worth $2.9 billion while the total cost of Bhasha, Kalabagh, Skardu and Akhori dam is estimated at $20.4 billion.
The government is especially interested in securing funding amounting to around $14.8 billion from international lenders over the next 10 years. The 10-year targeted investment include $6 billion for dams, $3 billion for new canals, $3.8 billion for system improvement and $2 billion for drainage.
The two sides would discuss in a week long discussions in Islamabad and at provincial headquarters as to how the world bank could assist Pakistan in ever increasing water losses, development of new storages and water saving projects, how much assistance could be arranged by the world bank and other lenders.
The bank, whose funding portfolio in Pakistan has dwindled over the past eight years, had offered upto $10 billion worth of funding for Pakistan's infrastructure development over a period of 10-12 years early this year.
Pakistan has, however, been saying that it could accept funding for infrastructure projects on concessional ODA terms only.
Sources said Wapda, Irsa and the chief engineering organization have been pleading for assigning a higher priority to development of new reservoirs, better utilisation techniques for reduction in existing losses and introduction of a combination of measures for simultaneous capacity enhancement and loss reduction.
