ADB authorizes a $320 million loan to increase Pakistani road safety
ADB received a press release here on Friday stating that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Roads Development Project will renovate about 900 kilometers of rural roads in the province that are prone to flooding and are in poor condition.
It added that they are important routes that connect isolated communities to markets, healthcare facilities, and educational opportunities. In addition, the project incorporates efforts to improve road safety, integrate climate-resilient design, and use sustainable maintenance techniques.
In Pakistan, road transportation is essential for both the country’s socioeconomic progress and its citizens’ survival. For millions of people living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, this crucial infrastructure project will shorten travel times, save transportation expenses, and improve their access to economic possibilities, according to ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov.
Zhukov continued, “We are empowering local communities and fostering inclusive economic growth in one of Pakistan’s most underserved regions by granting better access to markets and services.”
Parts of the province have seen considerable increases in annual precipitation and temperature, and the impact of catastrophes on people and livelihoods has grown due to a lack of robust infrastructure. Since 2010, there have been numerous floods that have seriously harmed the road system, causing connection issues and rising transportation expenses.
The project will provide financial and technical support to help the government plan long-term targeted actions that will improve the province’s road network’s sustainability and climate resilience.
“To identify priority roads, ADB Senior Transport Specialist Seunghyun Kim stated that the organization will assist the government in carrying out an extensive study on flood susceptibility, with an emphasis on landslide vulnerability throughout the province.”
In order to maintain the sustainability of the road network, Kim stated, “We will assist the government in drafting concessional contracts for the management and upkeep of two tourism roads.”
The fact that Pakistan was one of the original members of the ADB is relevant to note here. In order to support equitable economic growth in Pakistan and enhance the nation’s transportation networks, social services, energy and food security, infrastructure, and other areas, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided approximately $52 billion in loans, grants, and other kinds of funding to the public and private sectors since 1966.