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Dept for International Development

Answer

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the effects of the floods in Bangladesh on (a) the Bhairab Bridge project and (b) the Road Rehabilitation II and III projects funded by his Department; and what plans he has to secure further funding for projects funded by his Department and devastated by the floods. [195987] Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK was the first bilateral donor to announce support for the flood-affected people of Bangladesh. On 26 July 2004, the UK Government allocated £10 million through DFID to meet immediate flood emergency needs. On 18 August 2004, I announced a further £15 million in response to the UN Consolidated Appeal. On 26 October 2004, I approved a further £4 million to be disbursed through the World Food Programme. The UK's overall contribution has been channelled through several agencies to address both the food and non-food emergency needs of the worst affected poor people. Bhairab Bridge was opened in 2002. DFID continues to provide technical assistance to the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) of the Government of Bangladesh to help with the maintenance of the bridge. Between mid-July 2004 and the end of August 2004, the bridge experienced the first extensive flood since its completion. The landscaped area surrounding the bridge was submerged by one foot of water and the jetty road at Bhairab was submerged to a depth of approximately three feet. However, the flood did not cause any major damage to the bridge apart from some top soil sliding on the embankments. Where minor damage has taken place the operator has taken immediate steps to repair the damage. The roads constructed with World Bank loans under the Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Projects (RRMP2 and RRMP3) survived the floods without serious damage. DFID has not directly financed the construction of roads under these projects; UK support has been restricted to developing capacity in the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) of the Ministry of Communications. Within the £29 million emergency response to the floods, DFID approved £3.9 million in September for emergency repairs to roads and bridges. RHD has decided that this should be spent on road repairs in Dhaka Zone, one of the worst flood affected areas. RHD has, with the help of a DFID-funded consultant, rapidly agreed a set of criteria for selecting those roads most in need of repair. The monsoon season is now over and the flood situation continues to improve. All the emergency food shelters have closed. DFID's aid framework for Bangladesh continues to grow, but the emphasis is now shifting from emergency assistance to long-term development.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

195987; 426 c477-8W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Development aid Damage Bilateral aid Infrastructure Floods Bangladesh

Contains statistics

Yes