Mattia Poretti from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), presented the District Roads Support Program (DRSP), implemented in Nepal and aiming at improving the living conditions of the local population, by facilitating mobility and access.

The Program, made up of an agreement among the Switzerland and Nepal Governments, started in 1999 and is running until June 2013.

Poretti reported the earlier phases’ outcomes, as assessed in a Project External Review focusing on the impact of DRSP activities on the social and economic environment, within the area of the supported roads. A wide range of data was collected (e.g. on the increase of income, trips, shops, agriculture production, school attendance, spread of services such as electricity, piped water, telephone, infrastructures, toilet facilities) to show whether the improved connectivity boosted the poorest and most disadvantaged groups’ conditions. The survey targeted three roads, differing for length and conditions, through the use of different methods (e.g. focus group discussions, household surveys, traffic counts, passenger interviews, origin – destination surveys).

As an example, the survey showed that in the Okhaldhunga road general incomes had a threefold increase in the last 10 years while the travel time to District Headquarter halved. Moreover, in the Sindhuli road the number of shops increased from seven to forty-five. Finally, in the Dolakha road facilities as electricity, piped water and telephone, being totally absent beforehand, rose up respectively to the 35%, the 95% and the 33%.

On the face of it, these increasing trends – according to the assessment – show the overall positive impact of the Project on local economies. Poor and disadvantaged groups benefited from employment and social opportunities, reduced social divisions, improved accessibility. Furthermore, even if the traffic is still low, a substantial increase is foreseen for the future, which will lead to the improvement of local products’ marketing, increased access to employment and economic activities, as well as to local service delivery (e.g. ambulance service).

Lessons have been drawn from the past to prepare recommendations for activities of phase IV, which is due to start next July. One of the issues is the need to stimulate the economy: indeed, the creation of new roads is enabling but not directly causing growth, as it takes some time for improving mobility. To achieve this goal, the involvement of the local community has revealed itself to be really important for the effectiveness of the measures. Another point concerns the reduction of trusts among transport service operators, in order to provide safer as well as more reliable and affordable services.

Mattia Poretti
Programme Manager for the Swiss Confederation Federal Department of Foreign Affairs as well as for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

www.swomm.info/Docs/1DRSP.ppt
www.swomm.info/Docs/2DRSP.ppt

We have asked Mr. Claudio Ferrari, director of the Adamello Brenta Nature Park if it is also possible to to combine usability of natural environments and conservation of protected areas.

“The Park aims at being a model for sustainable development through measures that favour natural conservation and, at the same time, the increase of environmental resources associated with economic growth and social development. Problems arising from mobility in Natural Parks are strictly linked to tourism; vice versa, tourism in Parks often coincides with a problem of mobility.

Deciding to get on a shuttle bus provided by the Natural Park can also be considered a gesture of awareness towards the environment. People, in fact, who come back from “Park holidays”, eventually, might be persuaded in adopting a different attitude towards mobility, taking the ‘Park back in town’. It is, therefore, possible today to think of leaving behind us the old and prevailing mobility model starting from protected areas, as many initiatives, experimented successfully and with growing support by some Italian parks, among which there is Adamello Brenta, have positively shown.”