World Bank downgrades Sindh Barrages Improvement Project ratings over slow progress

According to World Bank documents, the lender cut the implementation and development ratings of the Sindh Barrages Improvement Project from Satisfactory to Moderately Satisfactory. It warned that sluggish operations and weak institutional capacity at the barrages could threaten how durable the large repair investments prove over time, even though civil works have advanced well. The project's overall risk is still rated Substantial.

The Bank said major rehabilitation work at Guddu and Sukkur is moving ahead and is expected to finish in the first half of 2027, despite a cofferdam breach at Sukkur in March 2026. Overall rehabilitation and modernisation had reached 84% by July 2026, and 125 gates have been replaced so far. Operations are lagging, as the maintenance scorecard climbed only from 40 to 44 between December 2025 and July 2026.

The Barrage Management Unit exists, yet the Bank wants further strengthening, and no performance-based maintenance contract has been signed. The Kotri Barrage study is still in procurement, while emergency plans for three barrages need wider sharing with local authorities. Following revision, the closing date now falls on June 30, 2028, and the project is expected to help around five million people once works are completed and management improves.