Karachi, Hyderabad, A high-level World Bank mission led by Ahsan Tehsin, a senior disaster risk management specialist, recently visited the Kohistan region in Sindh, examining the Lat-01 flood detention dam near Malir and the Sindh Emergency Service Rescue 1122 station in Hyderabad. The visit highlighted concerns about the region’s vulnerability to changing weather patterns due to climate change.
According to the World Bank, the Kohistan region in Sindh is a water deficit area heavily reliant on rainfall, which is increasingly affected by climate change. The mission members, including disaster risk management and climate change specialists, noted the likelihood of more extreme weather events like droughts and floods in the future. This visit is part of the World Bank’s ongoing efforts to assess and assist in managing disaster risks in the region.
The World Bank team, comprising specialists like Nihan Rafiq, Yunziyi Lang, Yoko Okura, Amna Memon, Mishka Zaman, Sana Ahmed, Moritz Meyer, Christina Wieser, Farah Yamin Khan, and others, inspected the flood detention dam, which is crucial for managing water flow and mitigating flood risks. Representatives from the economic affairs division, the planning commission, and the Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project (SFERP) of the Sindh irrigation department also joined the mission.
During their visit to the Sindh Emergency Service Rescue 1122 station in Hyderabad, the mission was briefed by Ghulam Asghar Kanasaro, project Director of SFERP, and Abid Jalal u Ddin, Project Director of the Rescue 1122 project. This part of the visit focused on understanding the region’s preparedness and response capabilities in emergencies, particularly in light of the increased risk of natural disasters.