ADB Approves Flood Assistance Package to Support Recovery Efforts in Pakistan

Manila: A $554 million financing package, including new and reallocated funds, has been approved to support recovery and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan following this year’s devastating floods, and to strengthen the country’s disaster and climate resilience.
 
The financing, which includes a $475 million loan and a $3 million technical assistance grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and a $5 million grant from the Government of Japan, will support the restoration of irrigation, drainage, flood risk management, on-farm water management, and transport infrastructure in the flood-affected provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh. 
 
ADB’s Emergency Flood Assistance Project will also incorporate climate and disaster resilience measures into the design of the infrastructure. 

"This year’s floods, which affected 33 million people and brought enormous damage to infrastructure and agriculture, are a devastating reminder of Pakistan’s acute vulnerability to climate change," said ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov in a media release on Monday.
 
"This project will help to rebuild critical infrastructure in affected areas and restore rural livelihoods," Zhukov added.
 
After unprecedent heatwaves in April to June 2022, Pakistan suffered a prolonged and intense monsoon that led to the country’s worst flooding in a century with glacial lakes bursting, rivers breaking their banks, flash flooding, and landslides. 
 
A post-disaster needs assessment conducted by the government and development partners, including ADB, estimated total damage and losses at more than $30 billion and recovery and reconstruction needs at $16.3 billion.
 
The loan will reconstruct about 400 kilometers (km) of roads; about 85 km of the N-5, the country’s busiest national highway; and about 30 bridges. 
 
It will also help to restore and upgrade irrigation and drainage structures including canals and on-farm water facilities to restore livelihoods, and strengthen flood risk management structures to mitigate future risks to agricultural land, communities, and assets.
 
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