ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has approved $300 million loan for two projects in Sindh — the Sindh Resilience Project to build resilience to natural hazards and the Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Project to strengthen solid waste management in Karachi to tackle recurrent urban flooding and public health emergencies.

The World Bank resident mission in Islamabad announced on Wednesday that the approval of $200m by the executive board as additional financing for Sindh Resilience project will 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.

“Building resilience to natural disasters and health emergencies is an important and urgent agenda in Pakistan, that will help save lives and protect the economy,” said Najy Benhassine, World Bank country director for Pakistan.

“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 multisectoral dialogue and coordination at the city, provincial, and national levels to ensure protections for vulnerable communities and fight the spread of disease,” Mr Benhassine said.

The project will also help improve irrigation infrastructure to protect vulnerable communities living in rural areas, which will directly benefit 750,000 citizens in drought-prone areas of Khirthar range and the Nagarparkar region in the Tharparkar district.

“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,” said Ahsan Tehsin, task team leader for the Sindh Resilience Project.

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

Karachi solid waste management

The $100m Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Project (SWEEP) will improve solid waste management services in Karachi and upgrade critical solid waste infrastructure to reduce urban flooding and public health risks.

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

SWEEP will also address 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 liveable city of Karachi project approved in June this year to advance long-term planning, policy reforms, and behavioural changes required to improve the solid waste management sector.

“Engaging citizens and community members, including informal workers, is essential for sustainable and safer waste management solutions,” said Suhaib Rasheed, task team leader for the SWEEP scheme.

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

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2020