Building Back Safer in Nepal

Building Back Safer in Nepal
U.S. agency for international development nepal
Following the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal, CDM Smith is providing architecture and engineering services to reconstruct resilient and sustainable infrastructure. 

In April 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake ravaged areas of Nepal resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries and flattening entire villages. CDM Smith was called upon help the country recover. Supporting the Government of Nepal and earthquake-affected communities, the project team is planning, managing and monitoring recon­struc­tion of critical public facilities, including schools and health facilities, and aims to strengthen private sector partic­i­pa­tion in recon­struc­tion. 

School and health facilities under construction
Construction workers trained on health and safety
Students and health service seekers benefit from reconstructed facilities

In close coor­di­na­tion with the U.S. Agency for Inter­na­tional Development (USAID), and Nepal’s National Recon­struc­tion Authority, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health, CDM Smith is helping to identify, prioritize, design, procure support and supervise construc­tion on several task orders for the USAID Nepal Community Recon­struc­tion Program (NCRP). Following a thorough study of the Nepal National Building Code standards, and completing facility needs assessments, site inves­ti­ga­tions and pre-design planning, CDM Smith’s designs incorporate seismic require­ments, disaster resiliency, energy efficiency and sustain­abil­ity.

Beyond engineering services, CDM Smith is estab­lish­ing a health & safety (H&S) culture in Nepal, providing H&S training as well as quality control and quality assurance training to construc­tion and local staff. Because the project sites are located in remote areas, which can present hazardous conditions during the rainy seasons, the CDM Smith team developed a safe journey management procedure for accessing sites. Our efforts are building insti­tu­tional capacity that will continue to benefit the local teams into the future by making health and safety a priority. The team of CDM Smith and Himalayan Builders and Engineers was one of only 36 teams recognized globally by the National Safety Council with the 2020 Industry Leader Award for excellent safety performance.

Stakeholder engagement is a critical component of the project’s success, allowing for incor­po­ra­tion of local values in the designs and acceptance by the community. CDM Smith supports community outreach, infra­struc­ture prior­i­ti­za­tion, conflict mitigation, social and envi­ron­men­tal consul­ta­tions, safety and security awareness, and all other aspects that are relevant to facil­i­tat­ing infra­struc­ture design and construc­tion.

The project is expected to be complete in April 2022.

Arjun Koirala Arjun Koirala
We’re setting examples for Nepal in building earthquake-resilient health and educational facilities and also developing capacity for sustain­abil­ity.
Students at the Adarsha Secondary School in Bhaktapur enjoy reading new books. Students at the Adarsha Secondary School in Bhaktapur enjoy reading new books.
Filling the Libraries in Nepal
CDM Smith supported the reconstruction of 12 schools after the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal. We raised more than $30,000 to purchase books and tablets for 6,000 students!
Video
Rebuilding for Everyone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=591kAUaI4SY
CDM Smith has also helped the Government of Nepal advance gender and social inclusion in post-quake recon­struc­tion and recovery. See what USAID is doing to make sure no one is left behind.
WATCH VIDEO Opens in new window.

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