The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Thursday it has approved a 1.7-million-dollar grant to help the government of Thailand develop a comprehensive development plan for the tsunami-affected Andaman region, dpa reported. The Manila-based ADB said the grant, which comes from its Asian Tsunami Fund, would finance the preparation of a 15-year development plan for the provinces of Krabi, Phanga and Phuket in Andaman, or the KPP subregion. It noted that the December 26 tsunami devastated the Andaman coast strip, particularly the KPP subregion which "further suffered from a range of economic problems related to its two main sources of livelihood - fishing and tourism". "The natural environment of the subregion has also been seriously damaged by the erosion of beaches and sedimentation of coastal eco systems," the bank added. Afredo Perdiguero, an ADB project economist, said the government was already carrying short-term actions such as repairing fishing fleets, reconstructing houses, rehabilitating villages and resorts and restoring livelihoods. "But many of these processes have long-term impacts and an effective and comprehensive medium and long-term plan for the affected provinces is required," he said. Perdiguero said the comprehensive development plan to be formulated will cover terms of land use, population distribution, settlement pattern, economic activity, social infrastructure and major ulility and transport infrastructure. "It is envisaged that the development plan will allow the subregion to move from a state of adversity to one of greater opportunity," he added, noting that key areas for investments, conservation and environmental protection would also be identified. --SP 1400 Local Time 1100 GMT
