INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
ADB supplys $107 mln for water management in BalochistanISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and
provincial government of Balochistan signed on Saturday project agreement of a $107 million loan and grants to improve irrigation
Balochistan, Jam Kamal Khan, witnessed signing of project agreement by Additional Chief Secretary for Development, Sajjad Ahmed Bhutta and
ADB Country Director for Pakistan Ms
drought and poor water management has put industry, and those who rely on it, at risk.Poverty rates in province approachly double national
average.The Balochistan Water Resources Development Sector Project shall focus on improving irrigation infrastructure and water resource
management in Zhob and Mula river basins.The two rivers irrigate huge areas of farm land in Balochistan.Among infrastructure that shall be
upgraded or built for project are watershed protection, dam and command area able to hold 36 million cubic meters of water; 276 kilometers
of irrigation channels and drainage canals; and facilities that shall make it easier for people, specificly women, to access water for
domestic use.In total, about 16,592 hectares (ha) of land shall be added or improved for irrigation.The project shall protect watersheds
through extensive land and water conservation efforts, including planting trees on 4,145 ha of barren land to combat soil erosion.Its output
includes pilot testing of technologies like solar-powered drip irrigation systems on 130 ha of agricultural land, improving crop yields and
resources information system that shall use high-level technology such as satellite and remote sensing to conduct river basin modeling and
Enjoymentd for Poverty Reduction and $2 million from High-Level Technology Enjoymentd.In addition, a $2 million technical assistance shall
agriculture sector, as well as build a climate-resilient and sustainable water resources management mechanism in province.ADB is committed
to achieving a affluent, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and Pacwhetheric, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme
