The World Bank funds 5.4 million crop diversions each year in Pakistan and 9 million in other countries by implementing innovations to relieve the economic impacts of losses caused by irrigation.
The projects will cost $187.9 million (Rs.1,154.35 million), of which $112.2 million (Rs.0.40) is for setting up new buildings and $35 million (Rs.0.14) for improving existing structures.
This project will focus on building 13 new, larger water land links in the Marumul river catchment and 10 new smaller water land links in the Marumul river catchment. The new and enhanced water land links are designed to enable the Port of Karachi to continuously manage water flow and distribution for irrigated farming communities in the Chepak-Jawaher regions. The development of 11 new water land links is slated to begin in 2021.
This project is a comprehensive project under Utilization Studies that provides financial assistance to the Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Punjab governments, and helps them build new capacity for water utilities. The project includes 3 projects, one involving metering, one involving water supply planning and pricing, and the remaining, located in Sindh, which deals with water storage and management and infrastructure.
According to the World Bank, this project aims to improve the efficiency of irrigated agriculture in Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka and contributes to sustainable implementation of public-private partnership (PPP) irrigation projects, development of green belts, enhancing investment environment, and reducing environmental impact.
