The Sindh Prime Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, held a meeting with a World Bank delegation on Saturday to discuss the launch of the water, sanitation and hygiene project (Wash) and the continuous efforts of housing of flood relief, as well as other initiatives in the province.
The meeting, which took place in the CM House in Karachi, included the managing director of WB, Anna Bejarred, the country director Naji Bin Hussein and other bank officials, a statement of the CM Read house.
Both the Sindh and the WB government agreed to the effective start of the Wash project aimed at improving access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene practices throughout the province, according to the statement.
“The initiative was aimed at 3,200 villages affected by floods, which provides essential facilities to improve public health and living conditions,” he added.
CM Murad stressed that the Wash project was launching with a total budget of $ 270 million, benefiting approximately 1.5 million people, with a breakdown includes $ 75 million from the World Bank, $ 13 million from the Islamic Development Bank, $ 100 million from the Asian Development Bank and $ 100 million from the Sindh government.
The meeting also discussed the Popular Sindh housing project. CM Murad said that the floods of 2022 submerged 70 percent of Sindh, affecting 12.36 million people and destroying 2.1 million homes.
“The housing project covered a rural population of 15 million, exceeding the population of 154 countries worldwide,” said the statement citing the principal minister.
“Until now, 120,000 bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries were opened, and financial assistance was distributed to 1.15 million people,” he added.
“Around 750,000 foundations of the house have been completed, with 500,000 homes in the final stages of the construction. In addition, 900,000 certificates of land ownership have been issued in the names of women, empowering them economically and socially.”
The prime minister also said that the project has generated more than one million employment opportunities, providing vital livelihoods for affected communities.
During the visit, the WB delegation also toured a photo gallery in the CM house with prominent Pakistani women, from Fatima Jinnah to other national icons. The delegation appreciated the historical architecture and artistic presentation of the residence.
A day before, CM Murad and ASEEFA Bhutto-Zardari visited a flood rehabilitation housing project in the Sindh district of Shaheed Benazirabad, which accompanies a delegation of WB officials. During the visit, WB Bejerde reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to support the flood recovery efforts of the Sindh government.
