A seven-member delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), headed by Raza Farrukh, has expressed satisfaction over the ongoing rehabilitation of the Indus bunds being carried out by the Sindh government, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Sources said that funds of up to Rs 5 billion have been spent by the provincial government on bunds’ rehabilitation, and the funds would be reimbursed by ADB’s recently signed soft loan of $405 million after the bank’s delegation expressed satisfaction over the quality of rehabilitation work.
After the flood had damaged bunds and infrastructure in the province, the Sindh government had approached the ADB for at least $405 million as soft loan for the immediate rehabilitation of bunds, canals and roads, the sources added.
They said that initially, the provincial government had released Rs 1 billion for the rehabilitation of Indus bunds and the federal government had also released Rs 2.5 billion; however, more funds were required. The sources said that around $120 million from the ADB’s loan would be spent on the rehabilitation of damaged roads, whereas the remaining funds would be used for rehabilitating bunds and canals.
The rehabilitation work needs to be completed by the next month, whereas the Sindh government would pay 0.5 percent interest rate on the loan in a payback period of 32 years, they added. They said that the Irrigation Department is currently working on over 40 rehabilitation schemes of Indus bunds, out of which at least 33 percent work has been completed.
The ADB delegation also inspected the rehabilitation work on the Tori, Akil-Aghani, Larkana-Sehwan, Moolchand-Surjani and Pinna Baghar dykes, they added.
