Flood Emergency Reconstruction and Resilience Project ADB to provide Rs 16 billion to Punjab government

Asian Development Bank (ADB) would provide Rs 16 billion to Punjab government for Flood Emergency Reconstruction and Resilience Project with an estimated cost of Rs 17.7 billion, it is learnt. The Flood Emergency Reconstruction and Resilience Project will rehabilitate and reconstruct floods' damaged roads and bridges in Punjab.
According to documents available with Business Recorder, ADB would provide 90 percent (Rs 16 billion) while Punjab government would extend 10 percent (Rs 1.7 billion) on the project. The project would be completed in 36 months. The objective of the project is protection of infrastructure from onslaught of floods, seepage losses in irrigation system, deteriorating institutional capacities of key water sector institutions and increased poverty in backward irrigated areas.
A total of 1119 damaged roads and bridges would be reconstructed, 127 flood protection schemes relating to irrigation and drainage would be upgraded and 20 units of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) would be strengthened. In the first week of September 2014, heavy monsoon rains and floods in the catchments areas of eastern rivers of Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Jhelum resulted in flash floods that caused havoc and various rain-hit districts of the province damaged physical infrastructure as well as destroyed private housing and agriculture. In Punjab, as many as 16 districts were primarily affected by flooding in the eastern rivers and 12 additional districts suffered severe damages due to heavy rainfall.
According to documents, Rs 537 million would be spent for districts roads, Rs 7.3 billion for emergent restoration works, Rs 90 million for on-going emergent restoration, Rs 21.64 million for equipment, tools and instruments, Rs 239 million for construction supervision, consultants/project management cost, Rs 830.17 million for physical contingences and price escalation, Rs 2.71 billion for inescapable works and Rs 1.5 billion for protection of Jhelum city from the flood of River Jhelum. The documents further revealed that Rs 612 million was earmarked for project management, Rs 592.81 million for contingencies, Rs 141.8 million for disaster risk management, Rs 541.7 million for disaster risk management of PDMA, Rs 166.91 for data clearance house administrative cost and Rs 309.8 for project management cost P&D.