WB team reviews flood emergency funds utilisation

KARACHI:

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and a World Bank delegation led by Regional Director John Roome discussed $163.8 million funds repurposed for flood emergency works and reviewed their progress.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, chief secretary, planning and development department chairman and secretaries concerned. The World Bank delegation members include Abedalrazaq Khalil, Kamran Akbar, Zishan Karim, and Francois Onimous.

WB Country Director Najy Benhassine along with his team members attended the meeting through a video link. WB has repurposed $22 million for flood emergency works. The CM told the visiting and online delegation that 110,000 tents, 300,000 mosquito nets, and dewatering pumps have been procured.

He added that delivery was ongoing and would be concluded by November 2022. The P&D department shared the details with the concerned World Bank team.

Shah said that $27 million was repurposed from the Competitive and Livable City of Karachi (CLICK) project to be utilised for the repair of 268 out of 500 roads identified for financing through CLICK.

He added that the environment and social management plan developed for the emergency works has been reviewed by the WB team. The CM said that contracts for $18 million of rehabilitation/repair works have been signed and were under the implementation stage. He added that the design for the remaining $9 million of rehabilitation works was underway.

Sharing the progress of $7.9 million repurposed from the Sindh Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Enhancement Project (SIAPEP) a World Bank funded project, Shah said that flood relief goods have been procured. The CM said that the $25 million repurposed from KWSSIP for the rehabilitation of water board sinking lines in the city has been divided into different packages.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2022.