The loan agreement signing ceremony. Credit: World Bank.

The World Bank has signed a $500m loan agreement with the Government of India to provide additional funding for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project.

Funds will be used to develop 7,000km of climate resilient roads, half of which will be built using green technologies.

Since 2004, the World Bank has been associated with the PMGSY investing more than $1.8bn of loans and credits to build road infrastructure in various Indian states, including Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh.

World Bank India country director Junaid Ahmad said: “To support the rural economy, and communities and households that depend on rural livelihoods, it will be critical to ensure that infrastructure is built and maintained to withstand climatic changes.

“Initiatives will include carrying out a climate vulnerability assessment during the design phase to identify locations affected by extreme weather conditions.”

“This project will demonstrate how climate resilient construction can be integrated in the strategy and planning of rural roads.”

Both entities agreed to develop the rural network using low-carbon designs and new technologies with the new funding.

Initiatives will include carrying out a climate vulnerability assessment during the design phase to identify locations affected by extreme weather conditions such as flooding, high temperature, storms, landslides and excessive erosion.

It will build waterways, submersible roads, and enhanced drainage systems in the flood-prone regions to allow for easy passage of water.

Furthermore, it will leverage bio-engineering measures on areas affected by landslides to ensure adequate slope protection.

Projects will incorporate environmentally friendly road design and new technologies that make use of local and industrial by-products such as sand, soil, fly ash, brick kiln waste and other similar components.

Bridges and culverts will be constructed using pre-fabricated and pre-cast units to endure the impact of earthquakes and tidal waves.

The $500m loan was allocated by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and has a maturity of ten years with a three-year grace period.