ISLAMABAD/Karachi (TDI): The World Bank gave approval for a $240 million in funding for the Second Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP-2) to render safely managed water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services for the citizens of Karachi.
“Safely managed WASH services are the foundation of public health and quality of life and are central to addressing the stunting crisis in Pakistan,” said Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan.
“KWSSIP-2 will expand the scope of investments in bulk water augmentation, water treatment, wastewater treatment and reuse, water distribution, and sewer network rehabilitation. About half of all beneficiaries will be women, 58 percent will be youth (age 15–24), as well as over half a million people in Katchi Abadis (informal settlements).”
The project is made of on KWSSIP-1 and would fund and extend on several investments to strengthen Karachi’s water supply, sewerage, sanitation, and treatment infrastructure across the entire city.
Furthermore, it would enhance water and wastewater infrastructure and help extend safe drinking water and sanitation services in numerous Katchi Abadis (informal settlements), that would benefit over half a million citizens.
Moreover, the longer term benefits of the project encompass lesser cost of using alternative water sources, lesser time spent gathering water, and health benefits from lesser waterborne diseases.
“KWSSIP-2 will also continue to address the gender gap in employment, representation, and leadership at the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) through gender-inclusive recruitment plans to hire more women in technical and decision-making positions,” said Khairy Al-Jamal, Task Team Leader for the project.
“It will support technical training for women, institutionalize an internship program for women graduates and create pathways for them to find employment within the utility, and support promoting women employees to higher-grade positions.”
The project would render safely managed water supply to nearly 16 million citizens and sanitation services to nearly 7.5 million citizens of Karachi by 2030.
It would also enhance the performance and funding sustainability of KWSC and enhance private sector partnership in rendering of these WASH services.
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This project is actually the initial phase of the [World Bank’s support for the] Pakistan Urban WASH Services Program that aims to touch 33.5 million citizens with safely managed WASH services through 2035.
KWSSIP-2 would be co-funded by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank with $240 million. In addition, there would be Government funding of $250 million and estimated private sector and commercial funding of $269 million.
This project is a portion of a World Bank South Asia regional initiative to render Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services to over 100 million citizens across the region by 2035.
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The World Bank in Pakistan is a member of the World Bank since 1950. Since then, the World Bank has given over $48.3 billion funding in assistance. The current portfolio runs of 54 projects and a total commitment of $15.7 billion.
