Flood-affected areas: World Bank approves $1.692bn in financing for five projects in Sindh

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on Tuesday approved $1.692 billion in financing for five projects to support people living in flood-affected areas of Sindh, it said in a statement.

It added that of the five projects, three projects support rehabilitation and housing reconstruction and the restoration of crop production for vulnerable communities, while another two projects support health services for mothers and children.

“Sindh was the province worst-affected by the 2022 floods," Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan, was quoted as saying in the statement.

"There were huge damages 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."

The World Bank said the Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project ($500 million) will help rehabilitate damaged infrastructure, provide short-term livelihood opportunities, and strengthen government capacity to respond to disasters.

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“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,” read the statement.

Furthermore, the Sindh Floods Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project ($500 million) will support owner-driven and multi-hazard resilient reconstruction of core housing units.

The World Bank said that under the project a housing subsidy will provide reconstruction and restoration grants for 350,000 housing units (almost 20 percent of the total housing rehabilitation needs for Sindh).

“Cash grants will be provided for houses with structural damage to partially finance reconstruction or restoration. In addition, basic rainwater harvesting systems and twin pit latrines will be provided to improve access to water and sanitation,” it said.

Moreover, the Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation Project ($292 million) will increase agricultural water productivity, improve integrated water resources management, and restore crop production by flood-affected farmers.

As an immediate response to the floods, the project will provide cash transfers to approximately 300,000 flood-affected farming households to help restore crop production through the purchase of seeds, fertilizer, and other critical inputs.

Meanwhile, the Sindh Strengthening Social Protection Delivery System Project ($200 million) will strengthen the provincial social protection delivery system and enhance access to and utilization of mother and child health services.

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“The project supports alignment and connectivity with the Federal National Database Registration Authority and will provide conditional cash transfers (CCTs) to 1.3 million mothers and their children to support improved maternal and child health outcomes, particularly in the wake of service disruption after the floods,” said the World Bank.

Under the Sindh Integrated Health and Population Project ($200 million), the funds will help improve both the quality and utilization of basic reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition services. It will also help in rehabilitation and reconstruction of health infrastructure that was damaged in the floods, disrupting the delivery of these services.

Last week, the United Nations had stated that emergency food aid for devastated flood-hit communities in Pakistan would run out in January after a funding appeal received only a third of its target.

Pakistan was lashed by unprecedented monsoon rains over the summer that put a third of the country underwater, damaged 2 million homes and killed more than 1,700 people.

"It is a big concern for us to ensure food security in the coming days and weeks for the people affected by rains," UN Resident Coordinator for Pakistan Julien Harneis had told a press conference in the capital.