The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $86.7 million in new financing to enhance essential infrastructure and services for displaced people from Myanmar and host communities in Bangladesh, the bank announced on Tuesday.

The funding package includes a $58.6 million grant and a $28.1 million concessional loan from the Asian Development Fund (ADF), which provides assistance to ADB’s poorest and most vulnerable member countries.

The financing will support the “Integrated Services and Livelihood for Displaced People from Myanmar and Host Communities Improvement Project,” aiming to improve access to water, sanitation, roads, food security, and disaster resilience in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.

“This project is designed to strengthen the protection and resilience of displaced people from Myanmar while promoting harmony with host communities,” said ADB Country Director for Bangladesh, Hoe Yun Jeong. He added that this initiative builds on ADB’s earlier support of $171.4 million under the Emergency Assistance Project since 2018.

The project includes installing or replacing solar-powered streetlights in Cox’s Bazar camps, rehabilitating fecal sludge systems in Bhasan Char, and boosting biogas production for cooking. Nature-based drainage solutions and food distribution centers tailored to women, children, and people with disabilities will also be implemented.

For host communities, new cyclone shelters doubling as schools will be built in Hatia, and mini piped water supply systems will be set up across nine upazilas in Cox’s Bazar. A surface water treatment plant and transmission pipeline will also be constructed to provide clean water to Teknaf.

Road infrastructure in both Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char will be upgraded to enhance mobility and access to services.

Currently, over one million displaced Rohingya people — 75% of whom are women and children — reside in 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar, while more than 36,000 have been relocated to Bhasan Char.

Founded in 1966, ADB comprises 69 member countries and promotes inclusive development across the Asia-Pacific through strategic financing and partnerships.

BOB Post