Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Pakistan: An Assessment of the Support of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (2000-2016)

Abstract

An effective Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is considered as one of the building blocks for the health of a populace. Unfortunately, this sector in Pakistan is quite fragile, and the intensity of fragility varies from one unit of the state to the other. However, for the development of WASH in Pakistan, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB) are providing assistance in project preparation and implementation. This paper outlines the causes of the poor condition of WASH sector in Pakistan. Moreover, it evaluates the interventions of the ADB and the WB in the country from 2000-20016. It is also pondered over whether or not these interventions have brought betterment in WASH sector in different provinces of Pakistan. More importantly, the paper also highlights loopholes in the developmental strategies of ADB and WB and suggests few possible strategies for the development of the WASH sector.