Bank will also redirect resources from
existing projects and help design disaster mitigation programs in wake
of La Paz flooding
The Inter-American Development Bank
today announced the reprogramming of $3 million from a project currently
under execution in Bolivia to assist in repairing drainage canals and related
infrastructure in the city of La Paz, following severe flooding that claimed
numerous lives and caused extensive damage on February 19.
The reprogrammed resources are one of several measures identified by the IDB in consultation with the Bolivian government in the immediate aftermath of the floods.
An IDB specialist in the design of natural disaster prevention programs, who was in Bolivia at the time of the flooding, worked with a team of officials from the Bank's country office to identify priority areas for action. In addition, IDB President Enrique V. Iglesias approved an immediate donation of $50,000 to assist victims and rescue operations.
The resources reprogrammed at the request of Bolivian authorities had been assigned to support the Ministry of Sustainable Development. They will now be used to repair and reinforce canals and storm drain systems that handle runoff from both superficial and subterranean rivers, and to build additional watercourses in areas damaged by the flooding.
The IDB has also made available to the Bolivian authorities funds from other projects under execution in order to meet the needs of the affected population, which includes some 500 persons whose homes were destroyed in the flooding.
These resources consist of the following:
- $2 million from the Housing Policy Support Program, which could be used to rehabilitate some of the steep hillsides where many of the poorest and most vulnerable families live.
- $500,000 from the Social Investment Fund, which could be used to repair schools damaged during the disaster.
- $112,000 from the Schooling Program for Working Children, which could be used to purchase educational materials and clothing for children affected by the floods.
The Bank is also supporting the preparation of a natural disaster prevention program that would include sustainable prevention activities and would help strengthen Bolivia's National Natural Disaster Service.
All of these measures reflect the Bank's overall strategy in Bolivia, which seeks to create opportunities, improve living conditions for the most vulnerable social groups, and increase access to basic social services.