Islamabad
The World Bank has agreed to join hands with Pakistan to support Rs. US$ 188 million for disaster resilience and ecosystem restoration initiatives through more reliable and timely weather forecasting, improved disaster risk management services as well as help tackle growing environmental challenges.
A focal person of ministry of climate change, Muhammad Saleem said, ‘The World Bank has conveyed its willingness to the government of Pakistan for providing funding support for an ambitious five-year US $ 188 million ‘Pakistan Hydromet and Ecosystem Restoration Services (PHERS)’ project, which would conclude during the financial year 2024-25’.
While sharing details of the bilateral partnership with APP, he said in this regard an agreement-signing ceremony has been scheduled to be held on June 1 in the climate change ministry, which would be led by the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam and the World Bank’s Country Director for Pakistan Illango Patchamuthu.
The ceremony would be attended, among others, by top key government officials of the climate change ministry, Economic Affairs Division, Aviation Division, chief executive officer of the National Disaster Risk Management Fund Pakistan, Pakistan Meteorological Department and National Disaster Management Authority, according to Saleem.
Sharing details of the project, he said Pakistan Hydromet and Ecosystem Restoration Services project would be implemented through the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) Pakistan, a government-owned company established under Section 42 of the Companies Act 2017 and managed by the climate change ministry.
Explaining about components and subcomponents of the project, the climate change media focal person Muhammad Saleem said the project comprises two components, namely, ‘Hydro-meteorological and Climate Service’ and ‘Disaster Risk Management’.
The first component has been further divided in the four sub-components, namely, Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building, Modernization of the Observation Infrastructure; Data Management, and Forecasting Systems; Enhancing the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) Service Delivery and Building Partnerships with the Private Sector; and the last is the Project Management, Systems Integration and Monitoring and Implementation Support of PMD.
