Disaster Risk and Resilience Assessment Framework (DRRAF) and Roadmap for Uttarakhand, India

Implementing Partner: Build Change

Project name: Disaster Risk and Resilience Assessment Framework (DRRAF) and roadmap for Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand, a Himalayan state in northern India, faces significant risks from earthquakes, landslides, cloudbursts, and extreme weather. Its rugged terrain and dispersed settlements create challenges for reliable telecom connectivity.

The DRRAF study underscores the need to reinforce Uttarakhand’s telecom infrastructure to ensure seamless emergency communication, swift disaster response, and uninterrupted service in remote areas.

Strengthening resilience here is crucial for safeguarding local communities and bolstering broader regional disaster risk management efforts.

Towers mapped
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Towers at risk
from earthquakes
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Impact

1

The study revealed that all of Uttarakhand’s telecom infrastructure is at risk from earthquake hazards, emphasizing the state’s extreme seismic vulnerability. Urgent measures, including seismic resilient designs and reinforced telecom facilities, are essential to ensuring network stability.

2

Telecom assets in hilly districts face frequent landslide threats, risking service disruptions. The study urges geo-tagging and strategic siting of infrastructure to reduce risks in landslide-prone corridors, ensuring continuous connectivity and enhancing disaster resilience in vulnerable areas.

3

The district-level landslide hazard risk map is an essential resource for strategically planning and designing telecom tower foundations in high-risk areas, ensuring stability, resilience, and uninterrupted connectivity even in challenging terrains prone to landslides.

Resources

Aishwarya Pillai

Lead Specialist

Alpana heads institutional partnerships, governance, and resource mobilization at CDRI, advancing cross-sector collaborations that drive resilient infrastructure programming across Member Countries and organizations. With over 25 years of experience spanning international development, global health, and the non-profit sector, she brings deep expertise in fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and delivering strategic change. 

At CDRI, Alpana has been pivotal in forging strategic alliances with governments, international organizations, and philanthropies. She also plays a key role in fortifying institutional systems and board governance mechanisms as the Coalition transitions into an international organization. 

Before joining CDRI, Alpana held senior leadership roles at The George Institute for Global Health, Plan India, WaterAid India, and SOS Children’s Villages, leading institutional fundraising and cultivating strategic partnerships for social impact. 

She holds a Master’s in Finance & Control from Aligarh Muslim University and completed Executive Education at Harvard Business School (CSR India). Her work is driven by a commitment to building enduring, values-based partnerships that accelerate sustainable development outcomes. 

Alpana Saha

Director, Partnerships, Governance, and Resource Mobilisation 

Alpana heads institutional partnerships, governance, and resource mobilization at CDRI, advancing cross-sector collaborations that drive resilient infrastructure programming across Member Countries and organizations. With over 25 years of experience spanning international development, global health, and the non-profit sector, she brings deep expertise in fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and delivering strategic change. 

At CDRI, Alpana has been pivotal in forging strategic alliances with governments, international organizations, and philanthropies. She also plays a key role in fortifying institutional systems and board governance mechanisms as the Coalition transitions into an international organization. 

Before joining CDRI, Alpana held senior leadership roles at The George Institute for Global Health, Plan India, WaterAid India, and SOS Children’s Villages, leading institutional fundraising and cultivating strategic partnerships for social impact. 

She holds a Master’s in Finance & Control from Aligarh Muslim University and completed Executive Education at Harvard Business School (CSR India). Her work is driven by a commitment to building enduring, values-based partnerships that accelerate sustainable development outcomes.