PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to seek a $250 million (Rs69 billion) loan from the World Bank to deal with floods and improve resilience in areas vulnerable to natural disasters.
The proposed loan will be presented to the provincial cabinet for approval. According to World Bank project documents, the entire financing for the project will be provided by the World Bank. The project aims to reduce flood risks in selected vulnerable areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while improving the capacity of government institutions to prepare for and respond to disasters.
The provincial Irrigation Department will be the main implementing agency and Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Department also part in the implemenation the project. Official sources said that around $190 million has been allocated for the project’s first major component. The funding will be used to construct and rehabilitate flood protection infrastructure, including embankments, flood-carrying channels, spurs, retaining walls, revetments, community dams and check dams.
Where possible, the project will also promote nature-based solutions to help reduce flood risks and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities, they said. A province-wide flood warning and forecasting system will also be established under the project. The system is expected to improve the timely collection, transmission and analysis of hydrometeorological data, officials was of the view.
Existing telemetry and observation systems will be expanded, while forecasting capabilities will be improved. The project will also strengthen information sharing among the Irrigation Department, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Pakistan Meteorological Department and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Another $50 million has been earmarked for the project’s second component, which will focus on strengthening the disaster preparedness and response capacity of provincial institutions and local communities.
The proposed programme is aimed at improving both physical flood protection and institutional preparedness, particularly in areas repeatedly exposed to flooding and related climate risks.
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