India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) sign loan
Context:
Recently, the Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) sign a $200 million loan to tackle flood and erosion risk along the Brahmaputra River.
Relevance:
GS-03 (Environment)
Key highlights:
- The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $200 million loan to strengthen flood and riverbank erosion risk management along the 650 km long main stem of the Brahmaputra river in Assam.
- The project interventions include stabilizing 60 km of riverbanks, installing 32 km of pro-siltation measures, and building 4 km of climate-resilient flood embankments in five high-priority districts (Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Kamrup Rural, Morigaon, and Tinsukia).
- These will result in securing living spaces, supporting livelihoods, creating employment opportunities, and ultimately enhancing the navigability of the river.
- It will advance the institutional capacity in flood forecasting and warning systems, modern surveys, erosion and embankment breach modelling, asset management, flood risk mapping, land use planning, pilot nature-based solutions and the graduation approach.
- The project is expected to benefit about 1 million people and increase crop production over 50,000 hectares.
Brahmaputra River:
- It originates from the glaciers in the north of Kailash ranges of the Himalayas and south of a lake called ‘Konggyu Tsho’.
- Brahmaputra traverses a distance of 2,900 km through four countries – Tibet (China), Bhutan, India and Bangladesh before entering the Bay of Bengal.
- Source of the river: Kanglung Kang Glacier near the Kailash range at an elevation of 5,300 m, near Konggyu Tso Lake
Salient Features of Brahmaputra River:
- The river system is on the landmass enclosed on the north by the Himalayas, on the east by the Patkai range of hills running along the Assam-Burma border, on the south by the Assam range of hills and on the west by the Himalayas and the ridge.
- The Brahmaputra river system regions witness one of the heaviest rainfall patterns in the world, particularly the portions in Assam, and are prone to annual floods and riverbank erosion.
- Majuli, an island, also a district of Assam, is known as the oldest and largest inhabited riverine island of the world, recognised by UNESCO.
Asian Development Bank (ADB):
- ADB is a multilateral development bank.
- It was founded on December 19, 1966.
- It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines.
- Its primary objective is to promote economic growth and cooperation among countries in the Asia-Pacific Region.
- ADB supports member countries through loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to foster social and economic development.
- It also finances private sector projects and public-private partnerships.
- The largest shareholders of ADP are Japan, the United States, China, India, and Australia.
