Project Background

In the rugged terrain of the hill, mountain and terai regions of Nepal, trail bridges provide safe, durable, and comfortable river crossing to the people and herewith provide them with access to important service centers like education, markets, and health care.
HELVETAS Swiss Inter cooperation and the Swiss Government have supported trail bridge development since 1974 in different capacities. Since July 2009, the trail bridge program was being implemented under a sector wide approach funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UKAid, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. HELVETAS Swiss Inter cooperation’s Trail Bridge Support Unit (TBSU) provided technical assistance to the trail bridge program of the Government of Nepal.
SAHARA Nepal entered into an agreement to conduct social mobilization activities in the construction sites of the trail bridges which have been built in different the then VDCs of Jhapa.

Major Activities

Conducted pre-feasibility study of trail bridge sites.

Collected social data/information, public hearing &formation of consumer committee.

Conducted detailed survey and prepare design and estimate of the bridges.

Facilitated in according to social agreement between DDC and consumer committee.

Inspected and monitored trail bridge construction.

Facilitated social audit.

Major Achievements

Completed the construction of 24 trail bridges.

Generated income generation and employment opportunities at the local level (trail bridge sites).

The communities are benefitted with easy accessibility to schools, health facilities, etc.

Coordination/Collaboration

Helvetas/TBSU for technical & logistic support in the construction of trail bridges.

Infrastructure Development Office, Jhapa for overall implementation of the program, financial support, and monitoring.

Related municipalities for overall implementation of the program, financial support, and monitoring.

Major Lessons Learned

Since the core of the project was community-based development; hence, project enabled community people for proactive participation in local infrastructure development.

Preparation of the bridge design needs to be done after careful analysis of the ground reality and the nature of the river on which the bridge is built.

Project Gallery