PESHAWAR: Following its funding for Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit project, Asian Development Bank’s Rs98 billion loan to improve municipal services in five divisional headquarters of the province is second high volume financing by the same lender.

ADB has provided Rs53 billion for Peshawar BRT project.

Earlier on Friday, the Manila-based ADB had announced $385 million for improvement of municipal services in five divisional headquarters of the province including Peshawar, Abbottabad, Kohat, Mardan and Mignora under KP Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP)

The financing will be spent on improvement of water supply systems, sewerage and drainage including sewerage treatment plants, provision of integrated solid waste management systems and development of green urban spaces in all the five cities.

The bank will provide $385 million for improving municipal services in divisional headquarters

The secretary of local government and rural development department, Shakeel Ahmed Mian, told Dawn that the Rs98 billion loan would be utilised over a period of five years. He said that the loan would be utilised for several projects in five divisional headquarters of the province.

The official said that the loan would be spent to develop municipal urban infrastructure, water supply, sewerage treatment plants and solid waste management in those cities. He said that his department fast tracked several projects and work on them was likely to start from January or February next.

Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) had approved KPCIP on November 24.

ADB said that the financing would benefit more than 3.5 million people in five cities from improved access to clean and safe water, reliable and integrated waste management and sanitation service, green urban spaces and gender friendly facilities.

“About 150,000 households will get new connections to water supply system and have smart water meters installed in their homes,” it said.

According to details available on the ADB website, several projects including a 93-kanal park in Phase-VII of Hayatabad Township of Peshawar, women business development centre in Kohat, Mardan Ring Road greenbelt, Mingora greater water supply scheme and surface water treatment plant, extension of water treatment plant and water supply scheme in Abbottabad, development of Shimal Hill park in Abbottabad, development of Bagh Naran park in Hayatabad Peshawar, and solid waste management facilities will be executed in all five cities under the umbrella of the KPCIP.

In Peshawar, Besai Park would be set up on an area of 4.7 hactares or 93 kanals of land in Phase-VII of Hayatabad on the bank of Gandao Khawar. According to documents, it has the potential to be developed as a park with multi-purpose walking tracks, sports facilities and spaces for families.

“Designed for access through walking, public transport and private cars, the park will serve up to 189,049 residents in its immediate vicinity as well as other visitors from Peshawar city,” the document said.

Under the Mingora greater water supply scheme and surface water treatment plant, surface water from the Swat River will be provided to the district headquarters of Swat through gravity based transmission system of 20 kilometres length.

Besides, a water treatment plant has been proposed to be constructed at the left bank of the Swat River about 20 kilometres upstream of Mingora city.

Under the Shimla Hill park project in Abbottbad, an urban forest and public park would be set up at Shimla Hill. The park would be set up over an area of 87.5 acres of land to the west of popular Shimla Pahari. The site of the project would be distributed between an urban forest spread over 46.25 acres and park with viewing decks over an area of five acres. “The remaining space will remain the same and existing natural features will be conserved,” said the document.

Also a solid waste management facility would be set up in Shamshato area on the outskirts of Peshawar over an area of 819 kanals while similar facility in Mingora would be set up over 66 kanals of land.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2021