TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank is likely to approve additional financing of $150 million to support the government of Sindh’s efforts to rehabilitate critical infrastructure damaged during the 2022 floods and enhance capacity to respond to disasters.

Official documents revealed that by scaling-up key activities, addressing financing gaps, and supporting institutional strengthening, the additional financing (AF) aims to increase project impact and improve its overall development effectiveness.

The project directly supports Country Partnership Framework Outcome —“Increased Resilience to Floods and Other Climate Disasters”—by enhancing flood resilience through integrated risk management and strengthening disaster preparedness. It contributes to this objective by rehabilitating critical irrigation and flood protection infrastructure, as well as restoring flood-damaged roads to resilient standards, ensuring improved connectivity and disaster resilience.

The parent project has fully disbursed within two years of project life with most activities either completed or in advance stages of implementation. Key subcomponents of the proposed AF, including the rehabilitation of flood protection infrastructure, restoration of roads, and expansion of emergency rescue services, are fully committed under the parent project. To date, over 3.6 million people in Sindh have benefitted from rehabilitated infrastructure, 47 percent of whom are women.

Subcomponent 1.1 – Rehabilitation of Irrigation and Flood Control Infrastructure (US$104 million) will prioritise the restoration of critical irrigation and flood protection infrastructure damaged during the 2022 floods but deferred under the parent project due to financial constraints. Activities include strengthening and remodeling of embankments, irrigations schemes, flood protection structures, and drainage networks, as well as the construction of flood detention dams. Climate resilience will be emphasised through improved engineering designs and integration of nature-based solutions, where possible.

Subcomponent 1.2 – Restoration of Roads and Allied Infrastructure (US$30 million) will support the rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged road networks in the flood-affected regions of Sindh which were deferred under the parent project due to financial constraints. The target road networks, as identified by the Works and Services Department (W&SD), will be rehabilitated to improved climate resilience and road safety standards.

Subcomponent 3.1 – Expansion of Sindh Emergency Rescue Service (US$8.5 million) will build upon and consolidate the investments made under the parent project, particularly by enhancing the operational readiness of district headquarters for Rescue 1122. The activities focus on operationalising and equipping key facilities, including the provision of rescue vehicles including fire tenders, as well as establishment of control rooms to improve service delivery. Additionally, the AF will support IT infrastructure, power backups, and essential rescue equipment for newly established districts. To ensure the sustainability and functionality of these emergency response services, the AF will also develop parking yards for Rescue 1122 vehicles and machinery, facilitating proper maintenance and deployment readiness.

Furthermore, the AF will support hiring of a consultancy firm for gender-based violence (GBV) prevention, providing advisory support and training to Rescue 1122 staff on case handling, response protocols, and survivor support mechanisms, to strengthen the service’s capacity to respond effectively to GBV cases.

Subcomponent 3.3 – Strategic Studies for Integrated Irrigation, Drainage, and Flood Protection Systems (US$3 million) will support long-term flood resilience of Sindh by advancing technical studies and capacity development. Under the AF, select flood mitigation options identified through an ongoing strategic study will be progressed to the feasibility stage, contributing to the development of a long-term flood resilience investment program for the Government of Sindh (GoS). To enhance data-driven decision-making, the subcomponent will support the establishment of a remote sensing and GIS laboratory within the Decision Support System (DSS) developed under the Sindh Resilience Project.

Additionally, the project will invest in capacity development, including specialised trainings and graduate research programmes for Sindh Irrigation Department officers, equipping them with the technical expertise to effectively utilise the analytical tools and contribute to Sindh’s long-term flood resilience efforts.

Component 4 – Project Management (US$4.5 million) will support operationalisation of the SID and P&DD PIUs, including procurement, contract management, financial management, compliance with environmental and social (E&S) standards, public outreach and dissemination, M&E activities, and GRM.