Pakistan: Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement

OBJECTIVE

The objective is to improve access to safe water services in Karachi and increase KWSB’s financial and operational performance.

DESCRIPTION

The project will support infrastructure rehabilitation, the capacity building of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), and improvements to the enabling environment for mobilizing private finance and enhancements in services delivery. It will help to improve Karachi’s water and sewerage services delivery through upgrading of critical infrastructure; building the technical and managerial capacity of KWSB and expanding the water and sanitation services to impoverished areas of Karachi.

PROJECT FINANCING

For more information about project financing, please review the project summary.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION

The project upon completion will improve the environmental conditions of the city and contribute to the overall socioeconomic development of local communities. Major adverse environmental impacts include discharge of effluent and generation of odor and sludge from wastewater treatment plants; removal and disposal of solid waste during construction. No large-scale land acquisition or resettlement is anticipated in the project but limited involuntary economic displacement and temporary negative livelihood impacts may occur during construction due to civil works in densely populated urban areas.

As the precise location of the civil works have not been determined, an Environmental Management Framework (EMF) and a Social Management Framework (SMF) which also includes a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) have been prepared, consulted upon and disclosed locally by KWSB (both in English and Urdu) and on the WB’s website (in English). The EMF and SMF confirm the required documents for sub-projects to be identified and confirmed during the implementation phase, including sub-project level Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) or an abbreviated RAP.

A multi-tiered GRM will be established and implemented for the project at local and central level. A Gender Action Plan (GAP) will be prepared during the project implementation but before undertaking any sub-projects and appropriate mitigation measures included in ESMPs and RAPs.