📋 Tender Overview
Project Name
Climate-Resilient Omchhu River Basin Project
Project Number
58120-001
Country / Economy
Bhutan
Project Status
Proposed
Project Type / Modality of Assistance
Grant
Loan
Source of Funding / Amount
Grant: Climate-Resilient Omchhu River Basin Project
Asian Development Fund US$ 15.00 million
Loan: Climate-Resilient Omchhu River Basin Project
Concessional ordinary capital resources lending US$ 30.00 million
Sector / Subsector
Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Land-based natural resources management - Rural flood protection
Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Urban flood protection
Gender
Some gender elements
Description
The proposed Climate-Resilient Omchhu River Basin Project will tackle one of the critical economic development inhibitors of the Phuentsholing area: recurrent flood risk from the Omchhu River exacerbated by unpredictable erosion of its riverbanks, landslides from its upstream hilly slopes, and worsening climate impacts. The project will (i) comprise the Omchhu River in Phuentsholing and its upstream basin, (ii) focus on climate and disaster resilience through an integrated river basin approach to flood and erosion risk management, and (iii) combine structural and nonstructural measures. It will (i) design and build climate-resilient riverbank protection and flood embankment in four priority river reaches, and pilot landslide mitigation measures; (ii) develop holistic measures to reduce landslide debris flows and sediment-related risks; and (iii) strengthen institutional capacity to assess, map, and disseminate multi-hazard risks, including from the gender equality and social inclusion perspective; enabling better land-use planning and management on risk-sensitive land; investigating geological and geotechnical conditions; monitoring and mitigating risks; and enhancing the forecasting and early warning systems and disaster preparedness. The project will benefit about 9,300 people and ultimately enable riverfront development. The executing agency will be the Phuentsholing Thromde, and the implementation period will be 6 years from October 2025.
Phuentsholing Thromde (municipality) (PT) will be the executing and implementing agency of the project, including for implementing works within the Dungkhag Administration (DA) administrative boundary. PT will be responsible for all procurement activities (works, goods and services).
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
Geography and vulnerability to climate and disaster risks. Located in a seismically active landslide-prone region of the Himalayan Arc, Bhutan is a small, landlocked, mountainous country with abundant forests and water resources, including glaciers and alpine meadows. Its estimated population of 782,000 spreads over 38,394 square kilometers. Bhutan's geologically fragile and steep topography makes it highly vulnerable to geophysical risks and climate impacts. Bhutan's disaster ri
