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Helping the Poor
How ADB Is Helping the Poor in Bangladesh
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| Workers at a gas refinery in Bangladesh. |
ADB has assisted Bangladesh in developing major gas fields (Titas, Habiganj and Bakhrabad), major transmission systems, and most of the distribution networks across the eastern part of the country through over $676 million in loans, and $5 million in technical assistance grants since 1975.
Under the Gas Transmission and Development Project (GTDP) approved by ADB in 2006, four gas transmission pipelines will be constructed totaling 353 kilometers to transport about 360 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to the less developed western region of the country, covering an area with a population of nearly 15 million.
"Through this project, the gas network will, for the first time in history, reach the country’s less-developed South-western regions including Khulna and Rajshahi, to help improve the livelihood of the people and promote economic development in those regions," says Hua Du, Country Director for ADB's Resident Mission in Bangladesh. To remove supply bottlenecks throughout the network, GTDP will expand the country's north-south system by introducing gas compressor technology for the first time in Bangladesh, she added. "By supporting the use of the much cleaner natural gas as a fuel for power generation, industry and transport, as well as for household use, the project will also contribute to improving air quality in urban centers and in households."
About 320 km of gas distribution pipelines will also be constructed to create a new distribution network in the Rajshahi area in western Bangladesh. In addition, the project will conduct a 3D seismic survey of five operational gas fields to provide updates on the estimated gas reserves in place and to assist further extension.
Studies show that Bangladesh has adequate gas reserves to meet its requirements. The country's gas infrastructure, however, is in poor condition due to a lack of commercial orientation and inadequate funding for maintenance and expansion. Low utilization of natural gas is serving as a constraint to commercial, industrial, and rural development.
Based on an ADB-financed study, Petrobangla, the Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Minerals Corporation, has formulated an investment plan for the period 2002-2020 that envisages $3 billion in investments for the gas sector to meet the country's increasing gas requirements. In support of this, the Government has developed a gas sector reform road map with ADB assistance.
This project will help to protect the livelihood of 2 million people by establishing
cost-effective and sustainable mitigation for river erosion which poses a critical
threat to people's livelihoods in the two ADB-funded flood embankments
in the Pabna Irrigation and Rural Development Project (PRIDP) and the Meghna-Dhonagoda
Irrigation Project (PRIDP).
The mitigation measures aim to stabilize 7.0 km and 4.4 km of riverbank in
the PIRDP and MDIP, respectively, by working on critical sections through placement
of revetments using sand-filled geotextile bags without changing the flow pattern
of the river.
Apart from the structural work, the project will also promote a range of non-structural
erosion impact mitigation measures to prepare disaster preparedness and organize
social development support targeted at the erosion-affected poor people. The
project will establish innovative erosion mitigation measures that are both
cost effective, labor-intensive, and adaptive to the natural river processes.
This project is helping to enhance conservation of forests in selected protected areas, increase overall wood production, and institute sustainable management of resources through local community participation, institutional capacity building, and policy reform.
It is benefiting the poor and disadvantaged sections of rural communities consisting of landless people, sharecroppers, household headed by women, and ethnic minorities with greater security of tenure, and employment opportunities generated by the project.
Aside from generating employment, the project is providing other important benefits, both on-site and off-site, including reduction of soil erosion, improvement of soil fertility, conservation of biodiversity, and further development of participatory social forestry activities.
This project has contributed to protecting and improving the coastal environment by promoting tree planting to increase vegetative cover in coastal Bangladesh through social forestry activities.
It helped to reduce local poverty by creating supplementary income opportunities through project benefits sharing agreements for plantation, nursery development, and seedling distribution.
Air pollution has become a serious health problem in urban Bangladesh. A significant amount arises from emissions from poorly maintained vehicles.
About 10 million people will breathe easier in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as a result of this project. It will help convert thousands of the city's vehicles to run on natural gas. The poor who are most exposed to the health risks from air pollution will especially benefit from this project.
The project helps to rehabilitate flood-damaged infrastructure and restore livelihood in the southwest region of the country. It will particularly, benefit the rural farmers and traders by re-linking the growth centers to the nearest markets and city centers.
In addition, it provides micro credit to 220,000 rural poor for repairing their flood-damaged homestead and restoration of income.
The project helps to reduce drainage congestion by rehabilitating the existing drainage infrastructure in the area from tidal and seasonal flooding; reducing poverty through increased agricultural production and creation of on-farm employment in the project area.
About 125,000 rural households are benefiting from the project.
This project has helped to sustain an increase in agricultural production,
provide a reliable and equitable irrigation water supply, including the construction
of on-farm field channels, physical improvement of the existing distribution
and drainage systems, and minor flood protection works through the comprehensive
development of the entire service area - the command area - of the irrigated areas
within the existing irrigation systems at Pabna and Meghna-Dhonagoda.
Besides developing and improving on-farm and other irrigation facilities, the
Project has helped to
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