KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has launched the Rs87 billion Sindh Coastal Resilience Project (SCRP), a major initiative designed to strengthen climate resilience and improve livelihoods for around one million people in Thatta, Sujawal and Badin.
The project is being undertaken by the Sindh government in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Green Climate Fund (GCF).
Speaking at the launch ceremony at the Chief Minister House, Murad Shah said the initiative marked a significant step towards protecting communities living in the province’s climate-vulnerable coastal belt.
He said people in Thatta, Badin and Sujawal were facing growing risks from climate change, while their livelihoods remained closely linked to agriculture, fisheries, livestock and coastal ecosystems.
“The coastal belt is among Sindh’s most important economic and ecological assets,” the chief minister said, adding that sea intrusion, rising salinity, waterlogging, flooding and extreme weather events were creating serious challenges for local communities.
He said addressing these issues required sustained government intervention and long-term investment in resilient infrastructure, livelihoods and ecosystems.
Integrated approach to coastal challenges
Sindh Planning, Development and Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro said the coastal districts were dealing with multiple interconnected problems, including poverty, flooding, saline intrusion, loss of productive land and increasing climate-related risks.
He said the SCRP would address these challenges through a coordinated programme covering infrastructure, environmental rehabilitation and livelihood development.
According to Shoro, the integrated approach would help protect communities while also safeguarding land, water resources, livelihoods and natural ecosystems.
IFAD Pakistan Country Director Fernanda Thomaz da Rocha said the project had been developed to help rural communities cope with floods, salinity and economic shocks while creating opportunities for sustainable economic growth.
She said IFAD was investing $100 million in the project and emphasised the participation of women and young people.
“Greater access to assets, skills and finance for women and young people can strengthen households as well as local economies,” she said.
ADB Country Operations Head Nissanka Amila Salgado termed the initiative an important development in the bank’s engagement with Sindh.
He said the project represented ADB’s first major investment in agriculture, food, nature and rural development in Sindh in more than 15 years, describing it as a renewal of cooperation with the province.
Planning and Development Chairman Najam Shah and Project Coordinator PCMU Nazeer Ahmed Memon also addressed the ceremony.
Officials said the SCRP would combine investments in livelihood development, community infrastructure, water management and ecosystem restoration.
The IFAD-supported component will focus on reducing poverty and improving incomes in coastal communities, with the programme expected to cover around 500 villages across Thatta, Sujawal and Badin.
The initiative will promote climate-smart farming, fisheries, value-chain development, financial inclusion, community infrastructure and diversification of livelihoods to help vulnerable households adapt to increasing climate-related pressures.
