World Bank signs climate change mitigation deals in India
World Bank has signed a series of agreements with India to boost climate change mitigation projects with a focus on dealing with cyclone disasters
The World Bank has signed a series of agreements with India to boost climate change mitigation projects with a focus on dealing with cyclone disasters.
The bank approved US$104 million in credit for the first phase of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation (NCRMP) programme, which started in 2010, to help the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh respond to cyclones more effectively.
The scheme has helped Odisha and Andhra Pradesh construct a combined 128 shelters, 550-km of evacuation roads and 11 bridges, benefitting an estimated 400,000 people.
The scheme was crucial for rehabilitation in the wake of Cyclone Phalin which hit the region in 2013 and was the most powerful cyclone to affect the Indian coast in the past 14 years.
Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary at the Department of Economic Affairs at India’s Union Ministry of Finance, said: “This additional financing for the project will further enhance the disaster preparedness work of the government and build cyclone-resistant infrastructure in the vulnerable coastal states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.”
The new credit from the World Bank will be used to construct 246 additional multi-purpose shelters and 260 km of evacuation roads in the two states.
The bank also signed deals with Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and West Bengal governments to start the second phase of the NCRMP scheme.
The new deals will see the World Bank channel US $308 million in credit to help the six states develop early warning dissemination systems, build cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure and provide technical assistance for multi-hazard risk management.