On February 1st 2022 CDR International and partners have concluded the final stage of the Gelephu Protection Project, along the Mow River in Bhutan.
The objective of the project was to develop technically and economically integrated feasible solutions along with an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment to reduce the vulnerability of vital infrastructure and valuable agricultural land along the river and its tributaries.
The challenges in the project area are caused by heavy rains in the higher catchment areas during the Monsoon, in turn causing flash flood events at the town of Gelephu. Considering the geological conditions, these discharges induce a very morphologically dynamic, braiding river system. Climate change causes the hazards to worsen.
CDR and partners have assessed the behaviour of the river system. Based on these findings a local set of interventions was designed that can withstand these forces, reduce the flood risk and can be constructed relatively easy in the very steep Himalayan environment. The developed interventions are supported by an adaptive sediment management plan allowing for controlled sediment extraction and monitoring the river’s response.
The results of the project are now being taken forward into the preparatory stages for implementation.
CDR International likes to thank our Client Invest International, the beneficiary FEMD (Flood Engineering Management Division under the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement, Royal Government of Bhutan) and our national and international partners KELKI, BHUCORE, REBEL, IHE DELFT, HNS for the successful cooperation and conclusion of this project.
