Islamabad: Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme (K-IV) 260 MGD (Phase-I) to provide additional 650 MGD water to meet the demand of Karachi, and other major development projects worth Rs 322.44 billion.
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh chaired a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held on Thursday. The meeting was informed that Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) shall be the executing agencies for the project. The total cost of the project will be Rs 25,551.77 million which will be shared on a 50:50 percent basis by the Federal Government and the Government of Sindh respectively.
A summary was presented before ECNEC regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Human Capital Investment Project (Health Component) to be sponsored and executed by the Department of Health, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and funded by the World Bank – IDA amounting to Rs 13,260 million. The project envisages improving the availability, utilisation, and quality of primary healthcare facilities in four districts of KP, and would cover a local population of about 8.4 million, alongside the 500,000 refugee population.
After due deliberation, the Committee approved the above project with the direction that the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be responsible for the smooth implementation and working of the project after its completion. The KP Government would ensure the viability and sustainability of the proposed project in the long-run.
The ECNEC considered and approved a summary regarding the construction of additional 02-lanes and widening/rehabilitation of the existing 02-lane carriageway of the Shikarpur-Rajanpur section of Indus Highway N-55 to be executed by the National Highway Authority (NHA).
The project would be sponsored by the Ministry of Communications and Asian Development Bank (ADB) with a total cost of Rs 44,703.890 million, including Rs.] 4470.390 (GOP share) and Rs 40,233.50 (ADB share).
Similarly, another summary was placed before the ECNEC regarding the construction of a 69 km long (04-lane) Sambrial-Kharian Motorway. It will be a high-speed toll road facility which will start from Sambrial city and the endpoint would be Lahore- Sialkot Motorway. The motorway would be constructed on a BOT basis at the total cost of Rs 43,382.552 million. The project shall be sponsored by the Ministry of Communications and executed by the National Highways Authority (NHA).
A summary was also presented before the ECNEC regarding a 10,000 kanal land acquisition for Swat Motorway phase-II to be sponsored by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and executed by Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority (PKHA) (through Federal PSDP), equal to Rs 20,000 million for construction of about 80 km 04-lane motorway from Chakdara to Fatehpur. The Committee approved the said project and strongly recommended completing such projects on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis. The Committee commended such projects for promoting efficient and safe transportation facilities across the country.
ECNEC considered and approved the Sindh Resilience Project (Irrigation Component) for the construction of small dams to address drought-prone areas of Sindh, including a system for improving resilience phase-II in districts of Malir (Karachi), Jamshoro, Thatta, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkar, Khairpur, Qambar-Shahdad Kot and Tharparkar in Sindh. The project shall be sponsored and executed by the Irrigation Department, Government of Sindh. The source of funding includes a share of the Government of Sindh equal to US $ 11.50 million (7.5%) and a loan from the World Bank equal to US $ 141.51 million (92.5%), with the total cost of the project amounting to US $ 153.01 million (Rs 24,493.841 million).
Likewise, ECNEC approved the Balochistan Integrated Water Resources Management and Development Project (BIWRMDP), sponsored and executed by the Irrigation Department, Government of Balochistan. The project will increase agricultural production, generate employment opportunities, and develop the agro-based industry through Integrated Water Resource Management across 11 districts in the Balochistan province. The proposed project is funded by the World Bank – IDA (up to 96%) and the Government of Balochistan, with the farmer’s share (up to 4%) amounting to Rs 14,747.74 million in total. The project is expected to be completed in six years.
ECNEC considered and approved another project in the water sector in Balochistan province, the Basol Dam Project, on the Basol River. The project would be sponsored by the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of Pakistan, and executed by the Irrigation Department, Government of Balochistan with a total cost equal to Rs 18,679.89 million.
ECNEC considered and approved the Nai Gaj Dam Project (2nd revised PC-I) for District Dadu, Sindh Province at the cost of Rs 46,980.35 million rupees. WAPDA and Irrigation Department, Sindh will be the executing agencies for the proposed project. The main objective of the project is the conservation of the available flood flows up to a gross storage capacity of 0.30 MAF and power generation of 4.2 MW. It will also help in the irrigation of 56,739 acres along with controlling the soil erosion on the downstream side of the dam.
The establishment of 48 MW Jagran Hydropower Station (Phase-II) at District Neelum, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was also approved by ECNEC at (a 2nd revised cost) of Rs 11,372.135 million. The project will be sponsored by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit- Baltistan and executed by Power Development Organisation, AJK. The project is being constructed on the intermediate stretch of Jagran River and will generate annual energy of 212.43 GWh.
The Sindh Resilience Project (PDMA Component) was approved at the total revised cost of Rs 15,309.14 million. Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Sindh will be the executing agency for the project. The proposed project will contribute to the overall need for enhancing resilience to natural disasters, including public health emergencies in the Sindh Province, as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the requirement for integrating health services with disaster management. The project is designed to cover 29 districts of Sindh Province and is expected to be completed by 2024-25.
The ECNEC also considered and approved the Gwadar – Lasbela Livelihood Support Project, Phase-II (GLLSP-II) to cover all 45 Union Councils in Gwadar and Lasbella Districts of Balochistan for community development and fisheries value chain development. The total cost of the project will be Rs 12,328.549 million. The Project will be executed by the Communications and Works Department, Fisheries Department, and the Planning and Development Department, Government of Balochistan through a dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU). It is expected to be completed in six years.
The Locust Emergency and Food Security Project (LEAFS) to respond to food security threats caused by locusts in different districts across four provinces was approved by ECNEC at the total cost of approximately Rs 31,630.60 million (equivalent to USD 200 million) provided by the World Bank. The project will strengthen the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) and also enhance the capacity of Provincial Plant Protection Departments. The project is expected to complete in three years.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Division Khusro Bakhtiar, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain, representatives of the Provincial Governments and senior officials participated in the meeting.
