Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Accessibility Project (KPRAP)

active

The project will improve rural access to schools, health facilities, and markets through safe and climate resilient infrastructure in selected districts of KP province. The districts have been selected based on the geospatial accessibility analysis and the climate change risks. The major gaps are located in the Northern, Southern and New Merged Districts (NMDs) of KP. The total cost of the project is US$310 million (equivalent Japanese Yen), out of which US$300 million (IDA) and US$10 million by the GoKP. The project comprises three components, as presented below. Component 1: Safe and climate resilient access (IDA will finance US$274 million and GoKP will finance US$10 million). Road upgrading and rehabilitation of existing roads. For selected rural roads in priority districts across the province. It will ensure provision of climate resilient roads providing improved all-weather accessibility to basic services. The roads were prioritized based on geo-spatial analyses which identified roads that would maximize access gains to schools, markets, and healthcare facilities considering climate change risks. The rehabilitation of roads will not require land acquisition. Climate resilience of infrastructure. To improve climate resilience of roads, ensuring all-weather accessibility to basic services and savings in the recurrent reconstruction costs. Measures include raising embankments, providing side drains, improvement of culverts, ditches, vegetation, bridges, enhanced slope protection, adopting design standards for pavements that reflects a higher level of climate resilience, a decision to seal previously gravel roads, and geometric improvement of roads to enhance road safety. Drainage design will take the effects of more frequent and increased precipitation. In addition, the component will include green techniques to mitigate effects of rainfall and high temperatures. Infrastructure in the vicinity of schools and other facilities. This component will also improve infrastructure in the vicinity of schools, health facilities and marketplaces to ensure safety of children, pedestrians, and cyclists to and from these facilities. These improvements will include the provision of sidewalks, bike lanes (if necessary), road markings, signage, traffic calming measures i.e., rumble strips, marking of reduced speed zones, delineators, and guard rails etc. Specifically in the vicinity of schools, ramps to facilitate movement of differently abled children will also be considered where appropriate, including gender approach and universal access. Fiberoptic infrastructure. This component will also provide basic fiberoptic infrastructure i.e., ducts and manholes alongside selected roads to facilitate the expansion of internet connectivity in the future. Component 2. Safe and affordable school journeys for girls (IDA: US$14 million). In order to translate improved all-weather access to roads to concrete outcomes in terms of girls’ education, the project will support the provision of subsidized transport to schools for girls from marginalized communities. The component will focus initially on middle school-age girls where home-to-school distances are much larger than primary schools, resulting in sharp declines in enrolment. Once the intervention is more mature, it may be extended downwards to upper primary school, where out of school rates are still significant, albeit lower than in middle schools. While the intervention will focus primarily on female students, a small number of female teachers may also be supported to enhance safety perceptions among parents. The component will be implemented in 5 selected districts among the 18 in Component 1. The districts of Battagram, Hangu, Kohistan, Shangla, and Torghar have been chosen based on having among the highest rates of out-of-school girls. Component 3: Project management and institutional strengthening (IDA US$12 million). This component will cove r two subcomponents: Sub-component 3.1 Project Management. (IDA USD 5 million). Inter alia, the administrative and operational costs related to implementation and monitoring of Component 1 and 2, technical assistance (TA), the core staff of the project implementation unit (PIU), auditing costs, capacity building for the PIU staff, education department and implementation and monitoring of the environmental and social safeguards standards (E&S). Sub-component 3.2 Institutional Strengthening Program (IDA USD 7 million): The loan will finance a comprehensive road sector reforms to improve policies for road sustainability, road funding, financing, and the capacity of CWD to select, prepare, allocate efficient resources, procure and manage road works contracts including emergency works. The program will include the development of a GIS based Road Asset Management System (RAMS) with a capability to plan and maintain the network, including based on actual requirements, accessibility and the risk of climate vulnerability and tools for paving efficiency, the creation of sustainable microenterprises for routine maintenance with gender considerations, introduction of modern and climate resilient design and construction practices, tooling policy and e-tolling, performance-based contracts, public-private participation in roads (project preparation and contract management). The project will also use the World Bank developed Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision (GEMS) for remote monitoring of road upgrading and infrastructure works funded by the project. The sub-component will build on efforts to strengthen data on schools (including private) funded under the KP Human Capital Investment Project.