Kathmandu, August 26

The World Bank Group has approved credit worth $55 million for the government to scale up the Road Sector Development Programme (RSDP) and address post-earthquake reconstruction needs, including strengthening of the country’s strategic road and bridge networks to withstand future seismic and climate vulnerabilities.

The additional financing will top up World Bank’s support to the RSDP, which has been ongoing since 2008, according to the WBG. The project intends to provide residents, including the low-income groups, in 10 beneficiary districts in the mid-western and far-western regions of Nepal with all-season road connectivity, reduced travel time, and improvements in access to economic centres and social services.

With the additional financing, as per the World Bank, 25 more districts stand to benefit from the maintenance of earthquake-affected bridges. The original 10 districts will also continue to benefit from road upgrading, slope stabilisation and bridge works.

“The Road Sector Development Programme has been the cornerstone of our support to Nepal’s strategic roads network for nearly a decade,” the statement issued by the WBG today quoted Country Manager for Nepal Takuya Kamata as saying. “While the primary focus has been to develop connectivity in the poorest and remotest regions of the country, the 2015 earthquakes highlighted the need to improve the resilience of key roads and bridges to future natural shocks.”

Road Sector Development Programme currently serves a population of two million in 10 districts in the mid-western and far-western regions of Nepal. The project will serve another 10.2 million Nepalis following the maintenance of earthquake affected bridges in the 25 additional districts. The bridges that will undergo maintenance in these districts provide connectivity along the Birgunj-Narayanghat-Mugling-Kathmandu corridor which carries the vast majority of freight into and out of Kathmandu and Pokhara. This corridor is among Nepal’s most vital infrastructure assets for supporting economic growth and development.

“Nepal’s hills and mountains are susceptible to extreme precipitation, earthquake and landslides that can result in severed connectivity, loss of lives, and damage to property,” the statement quotes Farhad Ahmed, task team leader for the project, as saying. “Robust construction, better maintenance and improvements in the capacity to respond will help Nepal adapt to unforeseen events.”