The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Provincial Government of Balochistan signed the project agreement of a $107 million loan and grants to improve irrigation infrastructure and water resource management in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet economically poor province.
Chief Minister of Balochistan Mr. Jam Kamal Khan witnessed the signing of the project agreement by Additional Chief Secretary for Development Mr. Sajjad Ahmed Bhutta and ADB Country Director for Pakistan Ms. Xiaohong Yang in provincial capital Quetta.
“Agriculture remains the backbone of Balochistan’s economy,” said Ms. Yang. “This project will introduce efficient water usage systems and practices to help farmers improve productivity and farm incomes.”
Agriculture accounts for almost two-thirds of Balochistan’s economic output and employs 60% of the province’s 13 million population, but frequent drought and poor water management has put the industry, and those who rely on it, at risk. Poverty rates in the province almost double the national average.
The Balochistan Water Resources Development Sector Project will focus on improving irrigation infrastructure and water resource management in the Zhob and Mula river basins. The two rivers irrigate vast areas of farmland in Balochistan.
Among the infrastructure that will be upgraded or built for the project are watershed protection and command area able to hold 36 million cubic meters of water; 276 kilometers of irrigation channels and drainage canals; and facilities that will make it easier for people, especially women, to access water for domestic use. In total, about 16,592 hectares (ha) of land will be added or improved for irrigation.
ADB will also administer two grants for the project, including $3 million from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction and $2 million from the High-Level Technology Fund. In addition, a $2 million technical assistance will help Balochistan’s provincial government improve its institutional capacity to address the risks and potential impact of climate change in the agriculture sector, as well as build a climate-resilient and sustainable water resources management mechanism in the province.
Original source: ADB
Published on 05 January 2019
