PESHAWAR, April 22: The $360 million Drought Emergency Relief Assistance (DERA) programme, to be completed in three years, involves $200 million spending on import of oil and farming inputs, according to official sources.

Out of the $130 million World Bank contribution to DERA, major chunk of $45 million would be spent on importing petroleum and petroleum products.

An equal amount would be utilized to import fertilizer and other agriculture items in addition to importing animal vaccines, agriculture & water sector equipment and construction and power generating machinery.

Apart from this, the government, whose total contributions to the $360 million DERA comes to around $130 million, would spend some $110 million on importing drought induced fuel oil and other imports.

However, according to the sources, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which would be raising $100 million during the three-year period ending in August 2004, would spend $90.5 m to develop water resources and rural access roads in the drought affected parts of the country.

Ther water resources to be developed with the help of ADB include small scale check dams for ground water recharge and rain water retention in addition to developing community managed water management structures on the pattern of Rodh Kohi System, rehabilitation and extension of traditional community-managed irrigation on the pattern of Karez system, small delayed action dams.

According to the sources, out of the World Bank’s funds $36.5 million would be spent on rural water supply rehabilitation focusing on water conservation and enhanced water courses to reduce losses from seepage and facilitate water management in ways that are low cost and labour intensive.

Besides, with the help of WB’s funds community based tube- wells would be installed at appropriate places in addition to developing longer term watershed management and water resource management schemes in the affected parts of the country.