Rehabilitation as a means for building long-term resilience

This case study explores a series of interventions undertaken in Odisha over a period of 5 years (from 2013–18), with a particular focus on post-disaster rehabilitation as a means for building community resilience. We focus on the case of “Odisha Disaster Recovery Project” (ODRP) under which the Government of Odisha, in partnership with the World Bank and Gram Vikas, built more than 16,000 houses through owner driven construction approach in the cyclone affected districts of Ganjam and Khordha in Odisha. The findings presented in this chapter are based on 2-year field-based research that attempted to assess the ODRP through its decisions making process and implementation, and reflect on the outcomes achieved with respect to these processes. This chapter highlights some of the findings, including the innovative processes such as mason training program and multi-hazard insurance systems that were incorporated in the project. The key research findings suggest that the overall objective of building long-term resilience is contingent on various decision-making and implementation processes, in particular the level, form, and timing of participation through these interventions. It was also evident that there are certain characteristics of the original settlement and the type of intervention undertaken that affect the resilience outcomes for the resettled communities.