Sindh CM, World Bank discuss roadmap for sustainable rural WASH services

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah held a high-level meeting with a World Bank delegation led by Country Director Ms. Bolormaa Amgaabazar to review the proposed Sindh Transformational Accelerated Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services (STARS-WASH) Project, aimed at tackling rural water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenges and reducing child stunting across the province.

The meeting, held at CM House, was attended by Minister of Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, PSCM Agha Wasif, Chairman of P&D Najam Shah, and CEO of the Peoples Housing Project Khalid Shaikh. The work bank delegation members include Lead Water Resources Management Specialist Mr Bekele Debele Negewo, Practice Manager Mr Michael Haney, Senior Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist Mr Mohammad Farhanullah Sami, Senior Executive Assistant Mr Waleed Anwar, Senior Social Development Specialist Mr Kamran Akbar, Operation Officer Ms Hina Salim Lotia (Via Zoom).

The World Bank delegation, following a month-long mission and extensive consultations with key stakeholders, presented its findings and proposals to the Chief Minister. The chief minister and the World Bank delegation underscored that access to safely managed WASH services is directly linked to stunting rates and stressed the need for a paradigm shift from traditional asset-based interventions to a sustainable service delivery model.

It was pointed out that over 90 per cent of rural households in the province self-provide drinking water, often relying on contaminated groundwater. Past WASH schemes, largely focused on asset creation and then handed over to local governments or communities, have suffered from poor operations and maintenance (O&M).

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The proposed STARS-WASH framework calls for a comprehensive WASH policy and strategy with clear service standards, delivery models, and financing for O&M.

Sustained investments through multiphase programs, including STARS-WASH Phase I, covering over two million beneficiaries, and Phase II reaching the remaining population. Integration with the Sindh People’s Housing Foundation (SPHF) WASH program for coordinated delivery of safe water and sanitation.

The project roadmap, as agreed by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and the World Bank team, envisions different models based on village size, such as large villages of over 300 households, which would be provided with piped water networks, overhead tanks, decentralised wastewater treatment, and O&M run by professional utility companies or under public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Small villages of 150 households would be given handpumps or standposts linked to clean water, engineered septic systems, and community-driven development (CDD) models, with professional backup for major issues. The smaller settlements (under 150 households): Community-led design and O&M with light technical support.

The reforms proposed also include the Sindh Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Act, a quasi-regulator for monitoring, and financial alignment through provincial fiscal transfers.

The World Bank team emphasised that aligning water, sanitation, health, and nutrition strategies is essential for tackling stunting and ensuring long-term impact. The chief minister and the World Bank agreed that the next mission scheduled for November 2025 would negotiate further to finalise the project.