The World Bank has approved US$138 million additional financing to the Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project to further improve efficiency and effectiveness of the distribution system of irrigation water in the province.
The project will be executed in water boards of three areas – Ghotki, Nara and Left Bank – in the Sindh province, said a statement of the Bank issued in Islamabad yesterday.
The credit is financed from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group’s grant and low-interest arm. It will be on standard IDA terms, with a maturity of 25 years, including a grace period of five years.
Sindh is one of the primary beneficiaries of Indus Basin Irrigation System with three major barrages that divert some 48 million acre feet of water annually to the 14 main canal commands in the province.
The project covers over 1.8 million ha of irrigated land, benefiting over 600,000 farm-households or over 3.6 million people.