Sialkot, the centre of football production in the world, receives a green makeover: ADB

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping the Punjabi government construct sustainable and habitable mid-level cities by improving the state’s fundamental facilities and services.

According to an ADB handout, this includes Sialkot, a thriving business centre noted for producing high-quality medical tools and footballs.

According to the ADB, funding for urban development is enhancing Sialkot’s competitiveness, generating jobs, and raising the city’s standard of living.

More than 70% of the footballs used worldwide are made in this location.

According to the handout, the ball was likely created in Pakistan’s Sialkot if you’ve ever played football.

Footballs for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar, will also be produced in the city.

The chairman of Forward Group and Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL), Khwaja Masood Akhtar, stated: “We serve clients from over the world. They visit for meetings and to see our factory. The city’s infrastructure, including its roads, railways, airports, and dry ports, must be in good condition as a result.

The ADB’s support for urban growth in cities like Sialkot was emphasised in order to ensure that public services can keep up with the demand.

With the ADB’s assistance, more than 450 tonnes of solid waste are efficiently collected every day, and communities are taught better waste management techniques, the statement continued. “Water infrastructure is being upgraded for reliable supply, while sewerage and sanitation systems are also being rehabilitated.”

A social activist from Sialkot named Farkhanda Ishtiaq remarked, “We learned about solid waste management at home. I gained a lot from it because I learnt how to separate my kitchen waste.

With clean restrooms and well-lit walkways, parks, footpaths, and terminals in the city are now easier to access, it continued.

Children used to play in a highly crowded setting at home, but now, according to Sialkot resident Rabia Ahad, they are quite relaxed.