Rural Access Program 2

Project Info

  • Category

    Rural Infrastructures

rap1 rap2 rap3

Client: DFID/Department of Local Infrastructure Development & Agricultural Roads
Funding Agency: Department for International Development
Period: October 2008 to December 2012
Consulting Association: WSP Imc, Helvetas Nepal, GEOCE Consultants (P) Ltd
Approx. Value of Services: GEOCE’s part- NRs 38.4 million
Professional Staff Input: International (102) and National (624) person months. GEOCE’s part 330 person months

Salient Details

The Rural Access Programme (RAP) is a UK Government-funded poverty alleviation programme to improve the livelihoods of the poor and disadvantaged and marginalized group in the programme districts (Terahthum, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Khotang, Achham, Dailekh and Doti) through the improvement of access to valued services and goods. RAP also supports construction of supplementary infrastructure (water supply, health and education facilities, markets etc.) selected by communities along road corridors and provide funding for maintenance. It included capacity building and institutional support to develop local government capacity and benchmark district performance and support the harmonization of donor support into a Sector Wide Approach (SWAp). Green road approach followed in design and construction of roads.

In RAP 2, the scope of physical infrastructures included completion of 150 km rural roads. The roads include  Dipayal- Patihalane Road (22.3 km) km; Rajpur-Chamara-Chautara (31.1km); Timilsen-Ramasoshan (22.9 km); Kamal Bazar- Jhulaghar (15.3 km); Ramaghat-Singhasain (12 km); Desigade-Mahabu-(20.5 km); Chupra-Meheltoli (14.5 km); Diktel-Khotang Bazar (50 km); Bhojpur- Ghodetar (35 km); Hile Bhanjyang-Dingla (35km); Chainpur- Barahbise (36.2 km); Myanglung-Sankaranti (57 km). Program Cost is £35 million.

Services were provided for studies, design, construction, monitoring and evaluation to achieve physical rural access improvements together with social development aspects. These include:

  • Project preparation (survey, design, estimates and IEE) of rural roads
  • Bid documentation and procurements of works, goods and services (consultants, NGOs)
  • Construction supervision of road building (through small works contract, special building groups, road building groups)
  • Income generating activities (demand survey, planning and prioritization, implementation, participatory training)
  • Supplementary infrastructures (assistance to DDC, guideline preparation, advise on design and cost estimates of water supply, irrigation, community buildings)
  • Road maintenance works (assist to DDC on maintenance planning, train maintenance managers)
  • M & E (physical works, environmental mitigation monitoring, SED works, evaluation to find 2 best performing districts)