ADB has approved a $320 million loan to improve road safety and all-weather connectivity in rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the aid of a rehabilitation program.
Approximately 900 kilometres of rural roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which are susceptible to flooding and are in poor condition, will be upgraded as part of a rural road development project implemented by the Asian Development Bank which was announced on Friday.
As well as these routes, the project includes a variety of measures to enhance road safety, integrate climate-resilient design, and enable sustainable maintenance practices to be incorporated into the project, which is expected to benefit remote communities in terms of education, health care, and markets.
There is no doubt that road transport is one of the most important elements of socioeconomic development in Pakistan and serves both as a lifeline for the citizens. It is an important infrastructure project that will not only accelerate travel times but will also decrease transportation costs, resulting in a greater access to economic opportunities for millions of people living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” said Yevgeniy Zhukov, Director General of the Asian Development Bank for Central and West Asia.
We believe that by providing better access to markets and services for local communities in one of Pakistan’s most underserved regions by providing them with better access to markets and services will empower them and drive inclusive economic growth,” said Zhukov.
Parts of the province have been experiencing a significant increase in rainfall and temperature patterns, coupled with a lack of resilient infrastructure, which has exacerbated the effects of disasters on people and livelihoods. Since 2010, a number of flood events have caused substantial damage to the road network, hindering connectivity and escalating transport prices as a result.
As part of the project, the provincial government will be provided with technical and financial support to enable them to prepare long-term targeted interventions that will improve the province’s road network’s climate resilience and sustainability on a long-term basis.
The ADB will assist the government in conducting a comprehensive study on flood susceptibility, including a landslide vulnerability assessment across the province, to identify priority roads within the province, according to Seunghyun Kim, ADB Senior Transport Specialist.
A concession contract will be prepared by us to operate and maintain two tourism roads within the country, thus making it possible to ensure long-term sustainability of the road network,” said Kim. He added that the concession contract would be subject to government approval.
There is no doubt that Pakistan is one of the founding members of the Asian Development Bank, which is a noteworthy fact. It is documented that in the last 50 years ADB has committed over $52 billion to Pakistan’s economy for the purpose of promoting inclusive economic growth, improving energy security, improving social services, and improving transport networks. The ADB has committed loans, grants, and other forms of assistance to promote inclusive economic growth in Pakistan.
Timenews1 provided this news.
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