CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE: A CASE STUDY ON CHAR DHAM ROAD NETWORK

Abstract

Infrastructure is the backbone of any developing nation. A disaster in any region not only disrupts the functioning of the communities in that region but also pushes them many steps backwards. As the nations progress, there is a particular emphasis on infrastructure development and ensuring their resilience so that they develop capacities to bounce back better from any scenario in the most cost efficient way possible. In the 2nd Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR), the importance of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) was signified through the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Agenda. In this agenda, a key point is that ‘all development sectors must imbibe the principles of Disaster Risk Management’. Therefore, the principles of disaster risk management must be incorporated in such a way that it contributes not only to the resilience of communities but also of the infrastructures that are built to cater to the needs of the communities. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) also state that an important agenda is to reduce the disaster damages to critical infrastructures and reduce disruption of basic services. The importance of developing resilience against vulnerabilities is evident through Goal 9 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). The goal emphasises on building resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovations. Moreover, Goal 11 prioritises ‘making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe and resilient’. Sustainable infrastructure in this context, directly and indirectly have linkages with other Sustainable Development Goals. This defines the importance of development of a robust and resilient infrastructure and its role in forming a resilient society. The transportation infrastructure, one of the most critical infrastructures for the state of Uttarakhand, is severely prone to landslide events. This situation arises mainly in the monsoon season when road closures are frequently reported. In recent years, there have been heavy investment towards building resilient road infrastructures under the bigger heading of Char Dham road project. The objectives of the current thesis it is motivated by the fact that the roads are affected by closures during the monsoon season creating heavy traffic as well as disrupting the annual yatra season which causes a ripple effect in the local economy. This thesis aims to achieve the following objectives: First, to examine the best-practices implemented in the all weather road project, also known as the Char Dham Project, and to understand how these practices may promote disaster resilience. Second, to emphasize the significance of resilience through stakeholder surveys and especially with those who have direct or indirect involvement in the project. Finally, to identify the challenge impeding the promotion of resilience and provide potential solutions to address the same. The study identifies factors that may impact the overall infrastructure resilience and elaborates existing gaps and suggestions that could promote resilience of future critical infrastructures being planned and implemented in similar geographies and hazard prone areas.