ISLAMABAD: The National Highway Authority (NHA) has issued Terms of Reference (ToR) inviting consultancy firms to conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for two sections of the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway (M-6), the missing link in the north-south motorway network that underpins China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) connectivity. The move, formally issued on Friday, marks another step toward embedding environmental safeguards and social protections into major transport projects.
The consultancy assignment, financed by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), covers the 60.9-kilometre Naushahro Feroze-Ranipur stretch and the 59.88-kilometre Ranipur–Sukkur section. In addition to the ESIA, the selected firm will prepare an Environmental and Social Management Plan, a Resettlement Action Plan, Labour Management Procedures, a Stakeholder Engagement Plan, a Livelihood Restoration Plan and a Gender Action Plan, to be completed within four months of contract signing.
M-6 is the final missing link of the 1,800-kilometre Peshawar-Karachi Motorway, the country’s main north-south trade artery. Although the project is not formally contracted under the CPEC framework, it is expected to reinforce CPEC and wider Belt and Road connectivity by completing seamless motorway access from Karachi Port to northern Pakistan and onward to China and Central Asia.
Under the ToR issued by NHA, the ESIA must cover climate-risk assessment, ecological safeguards, environmental monitoring, resettlement protection, gender inclusion and structured community consultation. These requirements align with the evolving “Green BRI” concept, under which transport infrastructure is increasingly planned to minimise environmental impact while supporting sustainable livelihoods.
Spanning 306 kilometres in total, the M-6 motorway is expected to cut travel time, improve freight efficiency, ease pressure on the N-5 and N-55 highways and support regional economic integration, according to the NHA project framework.
By requiring ESIA compliance before construction, the project is designed to expand economic opportunity without harming local communities or ecosystems, the document states. Qualified firms have been invited to submit expressions of interest in line with IsDB procurement procedures by January 20. –Agencies
