Major climate rotection, urban development projects for Sindh citizens: Mayor Sukkur

SUKKUR, Oct 06 (APP):Mayor Sukkur and Spokesman for Sindh Government Barrister Arslan Islam Shaikh, speaking as a guest speaker at the Climate Adaptation Investment Planning Forum (CAIP) held at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Headquarters in Manila, highlighted major initiatives and investment plans for tackling climate change, urban development and improvement of municipal services in Sindh.

According to a press release issued by the Mayor Office Sukkur on Tuesday, Barrister Arslan Islam Shaikh said that climate change is one of the most serious challenges facing the world today. Extreme heat, floods and water scarcity have severely endangered public life, livelihoods and basic urban facilities across the globe.

He said the CAIP forum was attended by representatives of governments, development partners and international financial institutions, where discussions were held on finding practical solutions through integrated planning, climate-resilient infrastructure and effective partnership models for investment.

Barrister Arslan said it was an honour for him to represent Pakistan, Sindh and particularly his city Sukkur.

$1 Billion Programme for Five Divisional Headquarters of Sindh, he said.

Barrister Arslan Islam Shaikh informed that in collaboration with the Government of Sindh and the Asian Development Bank, the Sindh Secondary Cities Improvement and Investment Programme is being launched, which is one of the largest urban development projects in the history of the province.

He said that the under the programme, an investment of about $1 billion, approximately Rs278 billion, will be made in five major cities which are divisional headquarters including Sukkur, Hyderabad, Larkana, Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad. He said the primary objective of the programme is provision of clean drinking water to citizens, improved sewerage and wastewater management, solid waste management and construction of modern scientific landfill sites, which will also include resource recovery and revenue generation systems.

In addition, climate resilient infrastructure, plantation and urban forestry, comprehensive master plans as per international standards and detailed development plans for various sectors will also be part of the programme.

Barrister Arslan Shaikh said the programme is not limited to infrastructure development alone but also aims at economic development of cities, promoting economic characteristics and productive capacity of each city and creating employment and economic opportunities for youth, women and vulnerable segments.

He said that documents related to Project Readiness Financing have almost been completed and are expected to be published soon.

He said that the programme will also include Public Private Partnership projects, aimed at improving urban services and creating sustainable sources of income for municipal institutions, so that municipal corporations can gradually become financially self sufficient institutions.

Barrister Arslan Shaikh said that ADB Vice President for South, Central and West Asia, Mr. Yingming Yang, has assured full cooperation and support for timely implementation of these projects with the Government of Sindh and relevant local bodies.

He said that the cooperation of international development institutions in Sindh’s urban and climate projects is an expression of global confidence in the development priorities of the province.

Giving important good news regarding Sukkur, Barrister Arslan Islam Shaikh expressed special gratitude to The Rockefeller Foundation, the British Government and the Asian Development Bank, with whose cooperation a grant of $2 million has been approved for Sukkur’s Climate and Heat Adaptation Investment Planning under the Urban Resilience Trust Fund.

He clarified that this amount is entirely a grant, not a loan, on which no repayment, loan servicing or service charges will be applicable.

Barrister Arslan Shaikh said that, InshaAllah, international consultants will start their work in Sukkur in November 2026.

He said that through this support, investment-ready projects will be prepared, opportunities for obtaining more financial resources will be created and long-term planning will be done for urban basic facilities and protection from extreme heat.

He said the special objective of this initiative is to ensure protection of vulnerable segments, including low-income families and residents of katchi abadies, from the effects of climate change and extreme heat.

On the sidelines of the CAIP forum, Barrister Arslan Islam Shaikh also met Chief Minister of Madhesh Province, Nepal, Mr. Krishna Prasad Yadav and expressed deep condolences over the loss of precious human lives as a result of the recent devastating floods in Nepal.

He said Pakistan and Sindh well understand the human suffering and difficulties caused by climate disasters, therefore global cooperation, climate resilient planning and exchange of experiences is the need of the hour.

Arslan said that under the dynamic leadership of Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the PPP and the Sindh government are committed to bringing lasting improvement in the lives of the people by converting development projects into practical investments.

He said that our objective is to convert development ideas into practical investment, strengthen our cities, increase their resilience against climate change and ensure that no one is left behind in the journey of development, he added.

Barrister Arslan Islam Shaikh thanked the Asian Development Bank, international development partners and all relevant institutions that are cooperating for climate protection, urban development and improvement of public facilities in Sindh.