960422

ADB team satisfied

with farm water

management project

TANVIR ZAHID

LAHORE: Asian Development Bank's review mission has found the overall physical progress of the Third Punjab On-Farm Water Management Project as satisfactory. The project is in its second year of implementation.

The mission, however, has pointed out that progress in two major components has been slow. These are Pilot Programme for Alternative Lining Technologies and Pilot Scheme for On-Farm Drainage. The slow pace was due to delays in the recruitment of consultants.

Overall progress was estimated at 33 percent against the elapsed loan period of 34 percent.

The mission comprising Kunhamboo Kannan, Project Specialist and Ms. M. A. C. Deguito, Senior Assistant (Sub-Loans) visited Pakistan from March 21 to April 12, 1996.

The mission made extensive field trips in the project area and visited facilities in Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan districts of Bahawalpur Division and Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Layyah and Muzaffargarh districts of Dera Ghazi Khan Division meeting officials and farmers there.

A final wrap-up meeting was held at the office of the Senior Chief, ECA, Planning and Development Board at Lahore on April 9 for discussing the mission's findings.

The objective of the project is to improve socioeconomic conditions and living standards of the rural people through increasing agricultural production by improving efficiency of farm level water use by reducing water losses on farmers' watercourses.

The project is scheduled to be completed by December 1999, with financial assistance of Asian Development Bank through loan of $66.5 million.