ISLAMABAD, Aug 6 (ABC): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government plans to launch a US$175 million (Rs47.25 billion) World Bank-funded programme to expand infrastructure and improve public service delivery across the province’s merged districts.
According to official documents available with Wealth Pakistan, the project, titled “Multisectoral Investments and Improved Service Delivery in Merged Areas,” will finance investments in water supply, sanitation, rural roads, agriculture and irrigation infrastructure.
The programme will prioritise underserved areas to improve connectivity, boost economic productivity and strengthen human capital.
Infrastructure and public services
The water sector component will provide safe drinking water, sanitation services and wastewater treatment facilities.
Agricultural interventions will focus on value addition, crop processing, diversification, productivity enhancement, marketing and farmer training across key sectors.
The programme also includes the construction, refurbishment and expansion of district complexes and sub-divisional administrative facilities. It will also develop connecting roads to strengthen administrative integration between local systems and provincial line departments.
Green infrastructure
According to the documents, all new public facilities will incorporate energy-efficient and environmentally friendly designs.
Project planning will also follow principles that promote greater citizen inclusion and improve access to public services.
Technical support
The project will finance feasibility studies, engineering designs, surveys, environmental and social assessments, and site-specific environmental and social management plans.
It will also support labour management plans, construction supervision and other technical services required for project implementation.
Under the arrangement, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will provide land for district complexes. It will also bear the staff costs of technical and field personnel supporting the project.
According to the documents, the investment aims to strengthen infrastructure and improve public service delivery throughout the merged districts.
