The board of executive directors of the World Bank Group has approved $300 million in financing to widen access to clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services for 1.5 million residents of selected rural areas in Sindh.
The funds will back the first phase of the Sindh Transformational Accelerated Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Services Project, known as STAR WASH-1. It is part of a wider $540 million co-financed effort to modernise rural utility services and respond to serious public health problems.
Health concerns driving the rural Sindh water push
Bolormaa Amgaabazar, the World Bank’s Country Director for Pakistan, said stunting ranks among the country’s most serious and long-lasting human capital problems, with unsafe water and poor hygiene as a major underlying cause.
The bank said contaminated water and weak sanitation repeatedly expose young children to diarrhoea, which hampers nutrient absorption and slows physical and cognitive development. More than half of children under five in rural Sindh are stunted, underscoring the need for better water and hygiene services.
Infrastructure and hygiene campaign planned under STAR WASH-1
Around 1.5 million people are expected to gain access to safe drinking water, properly managed sanitation and improved hygiene under the project. Funding will go to climate-resilient works, including solar-powered water supply schemes, upgraded toilets and wastewater management systems.
The project will also run an integrated social and behavioural change campaign to encourage better hygiene habits in homes and communities. Beyond construction, the initiative aims to create rural water and sanitation services that are financially sustainable and professionally managed.
The programme is also expected to help turn the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF), a government-owned, not-for-profit entity, into a dedicated rural water, sanitation and hygiene utility company.
