Mott MacDonald to help fight poverty in Bangladesh

Mott MacDonald has been appointed by the government of Bangladesh to support three development projects aimed at reducing poverty and increasing incomes in the country.

152All three schemes are financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The consultancy is providing design and supervision services for the sustainable rural infrastructure improvement project (SRIIP), which will foster growth, capacity development and gender equality in three regions and 21 districts of north west and south west Bangladesh.

The project aims to enhance the rural population’s contact with social services such as health and education, while widening access to markets and activities that will increase earnings for the rural poor.

Pilot projects include introducing toll roads, road safety improvement and small-scale water and off-grid electricity supplies in remote growth centres.

Mott MacDonald is also providing technical and management consultancy services to the Chittagong Hill Tracts Rural Development Project II (CHTRDPII), which will strengthen institutional capacity, link remote communities to main roads, improve irrigation and water resources and offer economic opportunities through agribusiness support in three districts in the south east of the country.

The firm is also carrying out due diligence for the ADB for a proposed water treatment plant in Khilkhet, Dhaka.

The study will explore the feasibility of a public-private partnership (PPP) and possible alternatives to improve the service delivery of water supply in the area.

Mott MacDonald’s project director Hero Heering said: “These projects will make a huge difference to the rural people of Bangladesh. Mott MacDonald has almost 60 years of experience working on development projects in the country, contributing to rural and water resources development, agriculture, environmental protection and management, climate change projects and capacity building.”

Source: Construction Week