The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank granted $1.692 billion for Sindh province flood relief., which has been impacted by floods.
According to WB, three of the five initiatives support the agricultural production, home repair, and rehabilitation of vulnerable populations. One is $292 million, two are $500 million.
The worst-affected province in 2022 was Sindh. People lost their employment, and agriculture, housing, and health all suffered. According to Nagy Benhassine, country director for Pakistan at the World Bank, “our participation in the flood recovery effort provides an opportunity to strengthen resilience and change institutions and governance systems.”
The “Sindh flood relief Emergency Rehabilitation Project” will boost the province government’s capabilities for disaster response while offering temporary livelihood opportunities.
The project will enhance water supply, flood prevention, roads, irrigation, and other infrastructure. In flood-affected areas, reconstructing essential infrastructure will help at least 2 million people, 50% of whom are women.
100,000 households will receive short-term assistance through a cash-for-work programme.
The emergency dwelling repair project for the Sindh floods, worth $500 million, will support multi-hazard, owner-driven house construction. 350,000 dwellings will be restored thanks to a housing subsidy, or around 20% of Sindh’s overall housing rehabilitation requirements. Additionally, houses with structural issues will be given financial aid for renovation or repair.
Twin pit latrines and rainwater collection systems will improve water and sanitation.
The “Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation Project$292 “‘s million budget increase will increase agricultural water productivity, integrated water resources management, and crop output for farmers who have been impacted by floods.
It will benefit 385,000 families (1.9 million people). The programme would provide cash transfers to 300,000 flood-affected farming households as an immediate response to the flooding to help them pay for seeds, fertiliser, and other inputs. Increased irrigation services and agricultural support will, in the medium run, benefit about 70,000 people. Additionally, the WB said that the prototype smart subsidy programmes for small and medium-sized farms will help 14,000 people.
The Sindh Strengthening Social Protection Delivery System Project, which would cost $200 million. The program will enhance services for maternal and paediatric health. In order to improve maternal and child health outcomes, especially in the wake of the floods, the project will provide conditional cash transfers (CCTs) to 1.3 million mothers and their children. The CCTs will be made available to Sindh’s 15 poorest districts, chosen based on the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), and they will cover 65% of the province’s flood-affected areas. This will help to lessen the effects of the floods, particularly food insecurity. And will allow for the continued use of maternal and child health services.
$200 million was given to the Sindh Integrated Health and Population Project. The project will enhance nutrition and reproductive, maternity, neonatal, paediatric, and adolescent health. It will also help with the repair of health facilities that were destroyed by flooding, which affects service delivery.
The programme will support women, girls, and children’s access to high-quality healthcare in rural. This will also backup and peri-urban areas, as well as in Sindh’s flood-affected settlements.
