Swat Valley - Arabstoday
The UAE announced that work has started for the construction of Shaikh Zayed Bridge, which will be built in the Pakistan\'s Swat region. The bridge that links 15 Pakistani cities and 45 villages on the two banks of the Swat River will be 450 metres long and 10 metres wide. Abdullah Khalifa Al Gafli, director of the Pakistani assistance project, said that the bridge in the Khyber region is considered one of the most important charitable and humanitarian projects that comes in line with the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He also pointed out that the bridge will serve half a million people in the region and will accommodate 4,000 cars daily. Al Gafli also said the architectural and technical specifications used in the project are of the best level, and that the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. The bridge is situated in the Swat area, part of the Swat valley, which is 160 kilometres away from the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Al Gafli said the bridge is being constructed by the Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Humanitarian Foundation. He said the foundation is keen to carry out ambitious development projects that will rehabilitate and establish the necessary and needed infrastructure in the country. The valley of Swat is enclosed by the sky-high mountains and green plains. Swat lies in the lap of mountain ranges. These gigantic mountain ranges run irregularly and enclose small but enchanting valleys. From / Gulf News