In Uttarakhand’s hilly terrain, bridges are lifelines that connect communities to markets, schools, medical facilities, and other economic opportunities and essential services, including disaster relief.
The Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project, with World Bank support, has built 81 bridges to provide increased resilience and better livelihoods for the rural population. The Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project restored critical infrastructure and enhanced connectivity in the regions affected by floods in the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The Project financed the reconstruction of more than 2,300 resilient homes, more than 1,500 km of roads, 26 public buildings, more than 80 bridges, and several road and river protection works. The Project ensured that new infrastructure was built resilient to future disasters. In addition to infrastructure, the Project provided critical capacity-building support to the State, including supporting the creation, institutionalization, and strengthening of the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority and the State Disaster Response Force. Technical assistance and studies, including the establishment of a geospatial platform for risk-based planning and a Statewide multi-hazard risk assessment, were also completed.