The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Sunday approved a Tk4,323-crore Resilient Infrastructure for Adaptation and Vulnerability Reduction Project (RIVER) in a bid to reduce flood risk in the riparian and flash flood-prone community and enhance disaster preparedness.
Seven other development projects also got approval in the Ecnec meeting presided over by Ecnec chair and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the NEC conference room in the capital.
“Today eight projects were approved, and the overall estimated cost of the projects is Tk12,167.15 crore (only additional cost of two revised projects is counted here),” said State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam at a press briefing after the meeting.
Of the total money, Tk3,097.91 crore will be drawn from the national exchequer, while Tk8,912.77 crore will come from foreign sources, and the rest, Tk156.47 crore, will come from the own funds of the organizations concerned, he said.
Of the eight projects approved, six are fresh projects, while the other two are revised projects.
Besides, the meeting approved the time extension of four other projects without raising their costs.
According to the Planting Commission, the Resilient Infrastructure for Adaptation and Vulnerability Reduction Project (RIVER) will be implemented in 78 upazilas of 14 districts by June 2028, involving Tk4,323.47 crore.
Of the project cost, Tk4,275 crore will come from external sources (IDA).
The main objective of the RIVER project is to reduce flood risk for the riparian and flash flood-prone communities and enhance disaster preparedness and response capacity.
The major project operations include the construction of 500 primary schools cum flood shelter centers; the installation of 100 solar power grids, development of 275 km of link roads maintaining a 150-meter height to connect flood shelter centers; the construction of 500-meter bridges and 1,330-meter culverts; and the development of 110km community infrastructure link roads.
Five other new projects include the South Chattogram Regional Development (SCRD) project with an estimated cost of Tk3,644.92 crore;, theCustoms Modernization and Infrastructural Development Project with Tk1,686.47 crore; Mymensingh District Rural Infrastructural Developmen Projectct with Tk1,000 crore; Rehabilitation and River bank projection of Meghna-Dhonagoda Irrigation Project with Tk347.65 crore; and Promoting Gender Responsive Enterprise Development and TVET System (ProGRESS) Project with Tk128.61 crore.
The two revised projects are Expansion of South-Western Power Transmission-Grid (1st revised) Project with additional cost of Tk1,048.47 crore (now total cost raised atTk 4,322.35 crore); and Urban Resilience Project (URP): Project Coordination and Monitoring Unit (PCMU) (3rd revised) with a cost reduction of Tk12.44 crore (now its cost came down to Tk32.86 crore).