Phase VI: July 2007 to December 2010
Budget: CHF 1.470 million (SDC)
Partner: Department of Urban Development and Engineering Services, Ministry of Works and Human Settlement, Thimphu;
Contact: Mr. Tshewang Dorji, EE, tshewang_dorji ( ) yahoo.com
Location/Geographic Coverage: All Districts
The physical landscape of Bhutan makes accessibility difficult which strongly affects the socio-economic opportunities for the rural communities. Trail bridges thus often make a very important contribution towards poverty alleviation and improving livelihood.
After
more than two and a half decades of support to the construction of trail
bridges, the project is now in Phase VI.
The
goal of the current phase
is
“to
contribute towards poverty reduction by enhancing the living standards
of the rural population through improved access.” The outcomes are:
Improved national and local capacities for decentralised programme management;
Increased rural accessibility to socio-economic services and opportunities;
Enhanced sustainability of inputs through institutionalising concepts and technology.
Main Achievements:
Of the total 444 trail bridges built so far, SDC financed approximately 251 with contributions from the Royal Government as well as the communities/beneficiaries;
Estimates for seven new bridges completed;
Capacity development for the Dzongkhag Engineering sector and the Suspension Bridge section initiated;
Video documentation of progresses completed;
Steel fabricated for rehabilitation of 30 bridges completed and under delivery to districts.
Outlook:
In spite of the many bridges built, connectivity still remains critical in many rural areas. There is request of minimum 25 bridges in a year from the 20 districts. Out of these, the RGoB has planned to build 20 bridges per year (100 bridges in the 10th FYP) of which 20 will be financed by SDC.There is a resource gap for 80 bridges.
As there will be no further support from SDC for the project beyond 2010, importance is being given to:
Revise and implement a sustainable maintenance concept;
Introduce short span trail bridge standard design (cheaper and easily built);
Strengthen institutional and technical capacity of central and dzongkhag engineering section;
Gradually decentralize responsibilities for planning, survey, design, construction and maintenance of the trail bridges by the dzongkhag engineering section.