Phnom Penh, May 26 (IANS): The World Bank has approved $169 million in new financing for Cambodia to improve its disaster risk management, an official statement said on Thursday.

The project will support the reconstruction of roads and bridges in flood-affected areas and improve the government's ability to respond to climate disasters, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It will benefit approximately 5.5 million people in seven provinces, of whom 52 percent are women, and anyone who uses those roads," it said.

The project will also train government staff, mostly at the Ministry of Rural Development, in disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, and post-disaster needs assessment.

World Bank country manager for Cambodia Maryam Salim said the country is highly vulnerable to a range of negative climate change impacts, particularly floods and droughts, and the rural infrastructure is highly vulnerable to climate disaster risks.

"This project will help to ensure that rural infrastructure remain robust and resilient to climate change, and that vulnerable populations will be protected against disaster shocks," she said.

Salim said rural roads are critical to the day-to-day life of rural communities, and damage to key road segments can cripple the livelihood of rural households and curtail access to basic services such as markets, schools and hospitals.

According to the statement, extensive flooding in 2020 underscored Cambodia's need for continued investment in disaster risk management and the vulnerability of key infrastructure.

It said the project will be implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development.