NEWAH EWB Challenge Design Brief

Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH)

EWB Challenge

Design Brief

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CONTENTS

Background information to the NEWAH EWB Challenge .................................................................................. 2

Design area 1 Housing and construction ........................................................................................................ 3

Design area 2 Water and Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) .................................................................................. 5

Design area 3 Energy ...................................................................................................................................... 9

Design area 4 Waste management ............................................................................................................... 11

Design area 5 Transport................................................................................................................................ 13

Design area 6 - Information, communications technologies .......................................................................... 15

Design area 7 Climate change ...................................................................................................................... 15

Contact us ........................................................................................................................................................ 19

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION TO THE NEWAH EWB CHALLENGE

Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) is an NGO in Nepal working towards clean drinking water, hygiene

promotion and sanitation (WASH). They achieve this by working closely with communities in 51 districts

across the country building the peoples capacity to realise their rights to water and sanitation, and giving

access to the required infrastructure.

EWB volunteers have worked with NEWAH over the years to create innovative approaches to WASH

challenges, develop water safety plans and engage the community in the processes. EWB is also assisting

NEWAH with a climate change adaptation program and a catchment hydrology, groundwater recharge and

rainwater harvesting program.

In 2014-2015 EWB is partnering with NEWAH for the EWB Challenge. The EWB Challenge focuses on hill top

communities in the hill region of the Gorkha District. The village of Sandikhola has been chosen as a

representative community of the villages in the region, as a way for students to better visualise life in this

district. The design solutions, however, should be transferable to all hill top communities.

In 2013 EWB held a workshop with NEWAH staff in their regional office in Bharatpur. During this workshop

seven broad design areas were discussed and resulted in design projects being identified that NEWAH, and

the communities they work with, are either working on at the moment or wishing to work on in the future.

These projects are outlined in this design brief. Further detail and information can be found on the EWB

Challenge website at: www.ewbchallenge.org

All of the student design reports that are submitted to the EWB Challenge for review will be given to

NEWAH. NEWAH are excited to receive these reports and hope that the ideas can be integrated into their

programs.

The EWB Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about and understand a wonderfully rich

culture, and be involved in an exciting time of change for rural hill top communities in the Gorkha District,

Nepal. It is an opportunity to learn, not just about the challenges facing their communities, but also about

community development in general, and the role engineers and other technical professionals can play.

EWB Challenge Workshop2013: (L-R) Jenny Turner, Hayley Allen, & Siobhan Maxwell from EWB, Kumar Silwal, Bal

Krishna Devkota, Santosh Basnet, Tara Nath Paudel and Saya Kumar Rai from NEWAH

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DESIGN AREA 1 HOUSING AND CONSTRUCTION

Housing in Sandikhola, 2013

In the hill areas most of the materials for building houses are sourced locally due to a combination of cost

and the difficulty of transporting materials into the communities on rough roads and over steep terrain.

Houses commonly have walls made from mud bricks with mud rendering or stone with smaller stones used

to fill the gaps. When using stone, it is not common for the walls to be rendered after. The roof is typically

made with either stone slats, thatch or corrugated iron. The floor is generally earthen and rendered with

slurry made from cow dung. The houses are typically two levels with open rooms. The top floor is usually

one room reserved for sleeping and the bottom for cooking and communal areas.

It is common for people to own their own house and land. In village of Sandikhola, most houses are south

facing due to colder climate, and livestock is often stored underneath the house to provide additional heat.

The houses usually consist of large shared rooms with small windows for ventilation, however the common

practice of cooking inside by wood fires, presents various health risks, as the use of chimneys is not

widespread in the area. Most buildings have access to electricity however it can be expensive. There is not

one uniformed housing design used in the area and it is it common to see a variety of building techniques

used even amongst neighbouring residences. The design often depends on the price of materials accessible

to varying income levels in the community, as well as the construction technique of the builder involved.

This includes roofing that can be either slate tiles or thatched material gathered from the forests not

straw. Given the geographical area of Sandikhola, one obstacle when it comes to building new

infrastructure is the lack of space available.

HOUSING AND CONSTRUCTION DESIGN PROJECTS

NEWAH has identified the following housing and design projects. Students are invited to address a single

issue or provide an integrated design solution for two or more design areas. Alternative projects may also

be considered.

1.1 HOUSEHOLD VENTILATION SYSTEM

The houses have few windows to protect the house from the weather however this makes them dark and

the lack of ventilation means that smoke build up from cooking is a health concern. Cooking is primarily

done with wood fireplaces which generate considerable amounts of smoke. Your challenge is to design a

household ventilation system that prevents smoke build up within the home while protecting the

household from the weather.

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1.2 WEATHER PROOFING HOMES

The weather in the region can be quite diverse ranging from cold winters to hot and humid summers. The

communities are interested in investigating different building techniques utilising locally available materials

to improve the ability of houses to withstand the harsh climate and protect the household members from

the elements. Students should also consider the sustainability of the materials and building materials to

improve upon current practices.

1.3 LIGHTING FOR HOUSEHOLDS

As mentioned above the houses have few windows to provide protection from the weather however this

means that the rooms within the house are dark and often poorly lit making indoor or night time activities

difficult. Mains electricity is common throughout the district and most rooms will have one electric light

bulb, which is used at night. The challenge is to provide natural lighting throughout the day without

compromising on the weatherproofing of the homes. In addition, alternative lighting to electric light bulbs

that can be used at night could be considered.

HOUSING AND CONSRUCTON PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

When designing a solution, the following issues have been identified and should be considered a priority.

The proposal should:

Explain measures taken that would help to reduce cost, construction time, and negative

environmental impacts.

Consider factors such as heating and cooling, lighting and the material selection.

Use locally available materials that are culturally acceptable and environmentally friendly.

Utilise volunteers from the community for the construction. This means that the design projects

should include a training package designed to build the capacity of the local volunteers giving them

the required skills for the project.

The cost of the project should be affordable for the community.

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DESIGN AREA 2 WATER AND SANITATION, HYGIENE (WASH)

Constructing a new fero-cement tank for spring water collection in Sandikohla, 2013

NEWAH water focus areas include: drinking water, fog-water, rainwater harvesting (RWH), ground water

capture (GW), gravity fed (GF) water collection techniques (currently ~80% of techniques used).

The availability of water in the hill areas varies with the seasons. The primary waterway remains continual

year round, however it decreases substantially in the dry season. Other sources of water within Sandikhola

include: one smaller waterway, eight tap stands and two newer spring intakes. All are accessible within

close proximity of the majority of households, but become unusable in the dry season due to low pressure.

The natural spring sources in the area are depleting. When water is not available in the village, community

members will collect water from a larger spring further down the hill. Excess runoff water from the tap

stands is collected and used in kitchen gardens to limit waste.

Water tanks have been constructed in the community and rainwater harvesting is increasingly being

explored as collection method. The size of the reservoir tank depends on the number of residents in the

community. With the rainwater harvesting system, one household has installed a first flush device, with a

manual operated valve to release the water collected onto the roof. The rainwater collected from houses

with slate roofs often has a smoky flavour due to the use of wood fire cooking inside the house. For the

construction of the tanks, skilled labourers are brought into the community, however the community

members are involved in the process. Commonly men volunteer to dig the pit where the tank will go and

women will carry the sand, cement and gravel needed for the construction carried on their backs. NEWAH

also provides training to sanitation masons on construction techniques.

The tap stands in the area have been designed to include two heights for different ages to easily access. In

areas of the village that do not have multi-level taps, the design has evolved to include additional support

beams to prevent the taps from breaking with children hang on the tap to get water. Water quality is an

issue however getting testing equipment to the village. The equipment is expensive and needs to be

imported from overseas, which can take up to 6-7 months. Previous water quality testing revealed that

there are high levels of coli-form in the hills. Another major problem identified in the area in the level of

lime build up in pipes. This calcification of pipes has an impact on the communities access to water.

Access to water has a large impact on sanitation and hygiene practices in the community. Sandikhola is a

self-identified open defecation free (ODF) area and NEWAH has established a Water and Sanitation User

Committee (WSUC) in Sandikhola, which is instrumental in hygiene promotion activities. The committees

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mandate is that the responsibility is shared 50/50 between men and woman, with the requirement that

women hold two of the executive positions. Hygiene promotion activities include: safe water from source

to mouth training, promotion of bamboo drying racks, basic cleaning techniques and effective times to

wash, how to dispose of faeces from babies and children hygienically, safe water from the source to the

mouth and the importance of households infesting in building a tap stand. The most difficult thing about

hygiene promotion is obtaining the money for construction of the infrastructure, as the household must

cover the cost.

There is one primary school in the village for grades 1 -3, with approximately 30 students attending. The

schools toilet is currently under construction and will use a septic tank, not a pit. It is common practice that

water needs to be carried from the source to the toilets for sanitation practices. In terms of womens

health, in traditional western districts of Nepal, it is common for women to be sent away during

menstruation periods and have been restricted access to kitchens, temples and other public spaces due to

belief systems. As the school in Sandikhola only has grades 1- 3, the female students have not yet reached

puberty so there has not been a need to address issues associated with menstruation within the schools

facilities. The school in the neighbouring village of Pancha Kanya has recently constructed a sanitation block

that includes a waste disposal and incinerator system that allows girls to dispose of sanitary napkins

discreetly from within the toilet block.

WATER AND SANITATION, HYGIENE DESIGN PROJECTS

NEWAH has identified the following WASH projects. Students are invited to address a single issue or

provide an integrated design solution for two or more design areas. Alternative projects may also be

considered.

2.1 PROTECTION OF WATER SOURCES

The main water sources for the hill top communities are natural springs. Protection of these water sources

from contamination and overuse is vital for ensuring that the communities have a continuous supply of

water to meet their daily requirements. Your task is to design strategies for the protection of these water

sources.

2.2 APPROPRIATE TOILET DESIGN

NEWAH currently is working with communities to install toilets into the communities and schools to

improve the sanitation in the district. They primarily use pit latrines or septic tank technologies but are

interested in exploring alternative environmentally friendly toilet designs for the region.

2.3 RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEMS

While most communities have access to water from natural springs this is often not sufficient to supply a

community with water through the dry season when the flow of water decreases. To ensure that

communities have enough water all year round NEWAH has been working with them to install rain water

harvesting systems. NEWAH is interested in investigating alternative designs for rainwater harvesting

systems and are very interested in exploring the use of automatic first flush devices. To date they are only

using manual first flush devices on some of their systems.

2.4 WATER PURIFICATION

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Water is piped from the natural springs to tap stands located throughout the community where water is

collected in containers for household use. Alternately water is collected directly from a tap in the rainwater

harvesting tank. The quality of the water is an issue, however it is not always tested due to the expense and

difficulty in obtaining water quality testing kits. The water often contains low levels of microbial

contamination and further contamination can be added if the water containers are not cleaned properly or

if the water sits for long periods of time. This task is to look at water purification methods to ensure that

the water used for drinking and cooking is potable.

2.5 WOMENS HEALTH AND SANITATION

There are large social stigmas associated with womens menstruation where it is seen as unclean. Women

will go to great pains to hide the evidence of their sanitation needs. Sanitary cloths are used and after

washing they are often stored under mattresses or in a corner to dry to keep them hidden. This practice

leads to many health problems. Your task is to design a method for washing and drying sanitary cloths in a

hygienic but private manner. Lack of sanitation infrastructure in schools can be a barrier for girls who have

reached puberty in attending school. Another project in this area is to design sanitation infrastructure for

schools that allow girls to meet their sanitary needs in a private way.

2.6 MULTIPLE USE SYSTEMS (MUS)

Multiple Use Systems (MUS) refer to systems where water is utilised for multiple purposes to minimise the

amount of fresh water that needs to be taken from the source. For example water runoff from the washing

stations is directed to a kitchen garden to water the vegetables thus getting two uses from the water.

NEWAH is interested in further exploring this concept of MUS and your task is to design a MUS for the hill

top communities.

2.7 FLY AND INSECT MANAGEMENT

Flies are prevalent in the rural areas and concentrate around toilets and livestock. Other insects such as

mosquitos can also be a problem. Mosquitos can breed in still bodies of water. Mosquitos are more

abundant in numbers during and just after the monsoon season and can carry diseases such as malaria.

Both flies and mosquitos can cause health problems in the communities. Schemes for managing these

insects are needed.

2.8 PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF LIME BUILD UP IN PIPES

Lime build up in pipes is an issue as it causes pipes to become blocked leading to a drop in water pressure,

an increased risk of corrosion and leaks. Your challenge is to come up with a proposal for the prevention of

lime build up in pipes and its removal if and when build up occurs.

2.9 DESIGN OF A WATER QUALITY TESTING KIT FOR NEPAL

Water quality is an issue right throughout Nepal, however it is difficult to obtain water quality testing kits or

equipment as they are expensive and need to be purchased from abroad. Once used the reagents are also

difficult to replace as again they are expensive and are not manufactured in Nepal. Often it can take 6 7

months to import the required reagents or components. NEWAH would love students to design a water

quality testing kit that can be made in Nepal for use in Nepal at an affordable price.

WASH PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

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The proposal should consider:

The effect that any chemicals used will have on the environment.

Cultural beliefs and practices of the people living in the community. In particular local spiritual

beliefs associated with water.

Cost associated with implementing any proposal. The proposals should be affordable for the

community.

Consideration for womens privacy

Infrastructure already in place for water and sanitation.

Appropriateness to the local environment and weather

Utilise volunteers from the community for the construction. This means that the design projects

should include a training package designed to build the capacity of the local volunteers giving them

the required skills for the project.

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DESIGN AREA 3 ENERGY

Outdoor wood fired stove commonly used for cooking, Sandikohla, 2013

In the hill areas it is common to use a mix between mains electricity, battery and kerosene lamps. Kerosene

lamps are slowly being replaced and electricity is preferred but can be unreliable. In larger cities, all offices

and restaurants will have diesel-operated generators. Solar energy is also being used commercially,

however has not yet been used on a household level within smaller communities. The desired uses for

electricity include: lights, mobile phone charging, television, and computers - excluding Internet, as it is not

available in Sandikhola. In the hill areas it is also common for households to have television. There is no

electricity in the school in the village and they depend on the windows for light.

For cooking firewood is still used and is sourced from community forests, where community allocations are

established. Gas is also used however it is not consistent year round and is not equally accessible amongst

the different households in the village. Biogas is currently being used is some households and is made from

the plentiful amount of free buffalo and cow dung that mixed with water and fed into the reactor daily. The

sludge then comes out the back of the processor and is used on the fields. One woman from the

community explained that due to having access to biogas, she has gas year round and that the benefits

include no smoke when cooking and it is much more economical.

ENERGY DESIGN PROJECTS

NEWAH has identified the following energy projects. Students are invited to address a single issue or


considered.

3.1 ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SUPPLY

A combination of mains electricity, batteries and kerosene lamps and occasionally solar are used as an

energy source in this region. Mains electricity is preferred but is often unreliable. Your task is to design an

alternative and sustainable energy supply for the hill top communities. NEWAH is also interested in

investigating the feasibility of micro hydro for both energy and water supply and so you may wish to

include this in your analysis of alternative technologies and solutions.

3.2 COOKING TECHNOLOGIES

Wood fireplaces located both inside and outside of the home are primarily used for cooking. The wood

takes several hours to collect each day and when burnt produces a lot of smoke which causes health

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problems throughout the community. In Sandikhola, however, a few houses have biogas stoves. The

women in these houses say that they like using the gas stoves and that there is no smoke from them. Your

task is to explore alternative cooking technologies for the hill top communities and compare them with the

current stoves and the biogas systems already in place.

3.3 ENERGY SUPPLY FOR WATER PUMPING

The terrain in the hill areas is quite steep. This makes moving water uphill to a community located at a

higher altitude than the source very energy intensive and as electricity and petrol / diesel is expensive

pumps are often not able to be used. Your task is to design an alternative energy supply system for

pumping water.

3.4 WATER MILL

Grains such as corn and rice are currently milled by hand using a small hand grinder. This project is to

investigate the feasibility of implementing a water mill to grind the grains and create potential economic

opportunities for the community.

ENERGY PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS



The cost of your solution. Including purchasing costs, maintenance costs, payback time.

The appropriateness of your solution to the social, economic and physical environment.

The reliability of the solution.

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DESIGN AREA 4 WASTE MANAGEMENT

Community rubbish bin in Sandikohla, 2013

There are no central waste management facilities in the hill areas, which can pose tremendous challenges

when it comes to disposing and processing non-organic waste materials. Disposing of organic waste is

handled in a variety of ways that include feeding left over food scraps to animals. Agricultural waste goes

into individual household pits for composting and animal waste goes into compost and into agricultural

fields. In rural areas there isnt a process for separating the agricultural, food scraps and waste materials

during the composting stage prior to mixing them into the fields.

The waste materials commonly found in the hill areas include: plastic bottles, plastic bags, glass bottles and

wrappers from snacks such as candy bars and lollies. The lack of appropriate disposal options means that

there is a build up of waste continues to be an issue. The current system of disposing solid waste such as

burning it or taking it to a larger dump is not a long-term solution. There have been steps to encourage

members of the community not to throw waste on the ground, by providing large bags within the

community where people can put their recyclable materials. The topography of the area requires the

houses to be in close proximity of each other and the amount of animal waste around the houses is an

issue as it encroaches into other peoples areas.

NEWAH has been involved in a long-term study examining different attitudes towards handling of waste

and sludge in the communities that they work, which will further inform what techniques can be put in

place to handle waste management issues.

WASTE MANAGEMENT DESIGN PROJECTS

NEWAH has identified the following waste management projects. Students are invited to address a single

issue or provide an integrated design solution for two or more design areas. Alternative projects may also

be considered.

4.1 SLUDGE MANAGEMENT

NEWAH is currently working with communities to install septic tanks for sanitation in the hill region. Over

time sludge accumulates in the bottom of the septic tanks and needs to be periodically removed. In

addition sludge accumulates in the bottom of biodigesters which are producing gas for cooking. Currently

the sludge from the biodigesters is released onto the adjoining hillside. Your task is to design a solution for

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sludge management. This solution should take into consideration community health, the environment and

the potential uses for this by-product.

4.2 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Solid waste in the communities includes plastic bottles, plastic bags and food packaging. Solid waste is

currently collected in the communities and is then either burnt or disposed of in large rubbish dumps. Your

task is to design an appropriate solid waste management system for hill top communities.

4.3 WASTE AS ENERGY

A few houses in the community of Sandikhola have biogas systems in place to generate energy from waste

organic material. Your task is to look at what other waste streams and technologies could be utilised to

generate energy for the hill top communities in addition to and including biogas.

4.4 COMPOSTING

Currently some agricultural waste and animal waste are collected and composted in pits for use on the

fields. Your task is to explore composting methods for the hill top communities and design a system to have

the maximum benefit for the farmers.

WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS



Current waste management practices.

Preventing the dumping of waste in communities, the forest and waterways.

Reducing the transportable waste.

How to incentivise waste management within the community so that it will be self-sustaining.

The benefits of converting a waste stream into a valuable product which becomes an income

stream.

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DESIGN AREA 5 TRANSPORT

Women transporting sand to a construction site by strapping the bags to their backs and heads, Sandikohla, 2013

The community of Sandikhola is located at 1,259 metres in the Gorkha district. The village itself sits in three

sections along the hillside with crops, houses and livestock spread out. The roads are compacted and

walkways are either made out of stone or compacted earth. Sandikhola is accessible by road, however the

road conditions create significant transportation challenges, especially during the rainy season. The road is

shared two-ways by vehicles and livestock and extremely steep and narrow.

One can access the community by public transportation by taking two different local buses and a walking

bridge (~6 hours from the major city of Bharatpur) or one local bus and walking (~1/2 hour bus ride and 6-7

hour walk from Bharatpur if there is a strike). Strikes, or bandhs, are common in Nepal and most services

such as transportation will cease to run for the duration of the strike.

The rainy season causes many road problems such as landslides and road bridges being washed out. Sheep,

goats, mules and yaks are all used to transport goods to the hill and plain areas. Currently animal and

human waste is a problem, as there are large amounts of manure on the roads.

Manual labour is also readily used and is a common option when vehicles can be used. Children will often

walk between 1 3 hours a day to the community for school (grades 1-3), depending on what neighbouring

village. There is another school (grades 4-10) 1-hour walk roundtrip that provides additional education for

villages in the area. There are many walking bridges in the region that are of award winning and there is a

over-river pulley system that is effective when needing to transport good into Sandikhola from areas

separated by rivers, such as Bharatpur.

TRANSPORT DESIGN PROJECTS

NEWAH has identified the following transport projects. Students are invited to address a single issue or


considered.

5.1 VERTICAL GOODS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

The terrain in hill region is very steep. Community members must walk up and down these hills numerous

times each day to collect firewood, food for the livestock, water and to tend to their hillside farms. The

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goods are carried up and down the hills in bags strapped to the peoples backs. There are pulley systems to

carry goods horizontally across the rivers and ravines but nothing in place to help people carry goods up

and down the hills. Your task is to design a solution to carry goods up and down the hills.

5.2 ROAD MAINTENANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The roads up to the hill top communities are very rough and rugged 4WD tracks. These roads become

impassable during the monsoon season when they turn into rivers. The roads become washed out during

this time of the year and are frequently blocked by landslides. Road maintenance and management plans

are needed for this district to improve accessibility to the communities on the hill tops.

5.3 ANIMAL AND HUMAN WASTE MANAGEMENT ON THE ROAD

As most of the transport in the region is conducted on foot or with animals there is a problem with human

and animal waste build up on the side of the roads as there are no sanitation facilities on the roads.

NEWAH are interested in investigating sanitation solutions for animal and human waste on the roads.

TRANSPORT PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS



The suitability of the transport solution to the terrain and environment in the hill regions.

The cost vs. benefit of your solution. Will your solution appeal to the locals, or could you convince a

government that your solution is worth investing in?

The appropriateness of your solution to the social, economic and physical environment.

The reliability of the transport solution.

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DESIGN AREA 6 - INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES

Manually checking the flow of water from a natural spring in Sandikohla, 2013

The use of mobile phones in Nepal is widespread, with most individuals owning one. Nepal is looking to

implement a 3G system but it is expensive and will take time to be effectively implemented countrywide.

There is no Internet in remote areas, such as Sandikhola, and limited computers available. The lack of

Internet access makes collecting, storing and backing up data extremely difficult for NEWAH, as well as

other organisations working in remote communities. Collecting data in these rural communities is also a

large time commitment for NEWAH and not efficient in sharing and monitoring information between the

organisation and the communities that they work in. Data is currently collected by hand and stored only in

hard copy. A SMS program then compiles all of the data, however the system adds to concerns about data

security.

ICT PROJECTS

NEWAH has identified the following ICT projects. Students are invited to address a single issue or provide

an integrated design solution for two or more design areas. Alternative projects may also be considered.

6.1 AUTOMATED DATA RECORDING SYSTEM

NEWAH records data on water flows and levels to monitor the health of the natural springs and waterways.

Currently this data is recorded manually and requires a person to walk to the data recording point and take

measurements at regular intervals. NEWAH is interested in exploring the possibility of an automated data

recording equipment to make this process less labour intensive. It would also be great to see an automated

data recording system coupled with an automatic report generation system.

6.2 COMMUNITY MONITORING SYSTEMS

Similar to water data recording above all of the recording of the infrastructure and community information

is completed manually. This makes monitoring of the programs and planning, e.g. planning for

maintenance, difficult. NEWAH is interested in an electronic community monitoring system, for example

utilising SMS technology, to capture data, send it to the district office and integrate into a program that can

automatically generate reports on the status of community projects.

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6.3 PROGRAM TO CALCULATE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE COSTS

NEWAH is interested in a program that will allow for quick calculations of the project life cycle costs

including; material, equipment, labour and ongoing maintenance costs for their project. The program

should be flexible to allow NEWAH staff to choose the parameters required for each project.

6.4 DATA SECURITY MANAGEMENT

Recording and backing up data is an issue. NEWAH would like a system to do this quickly and securely to

ensure that there are no losses. They would also like a system that is easily searchable to ensure

information can be found easily and quickly when required.

ICT PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS



Computer literacy is low in rural areas and so the incorporation of training will be integral to the

success of any project within the district.

The availability of different types of hardware and infrastructure should be considered, i.e. how

many people have access to computers, smartphones, etc.

Cost should be kept to a minimum so that the design is affordable for members of the community.

Mains electricity is unreliable. Alternative power supplies or portable power supplies may also be

considered as part of the design.

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DESIGN AREA 7 CLIMATE CHANGE

Rice paddies, Sandikohla 2013

Changing weather patterns, depleting natural resources and an increase in natural disasters are all climate

change related issues that have been a focus area of growing concern within Nepal. Recent glacial breakage

and melting in the cities of Pokhara and Mansulu resulted in the deaths of trekkers and have highlighted

the importance on focusing on disaster preparedness and community awareness programs for

communities across Nepal, including the areas that NEWAH works in. Flash floods are also common.

Changes in rainfall patterns have impacted the flowering of flowers and fruits, as well as harvesting

patterns of crops. These changing patterns have direct impacts on reliable food supplies and food security

issues have been identified. NEWAH has a classification system for community households related to the

amount of food they have access to over a given time period. The 3 classifications are: ultra poor (enough

food for 3 months); poor (enough food for 6 months); and better/medium (enough food for 12 months).

These classifications are also impacted by income generated and the disparity amongst households is

visible in villages such as Sandikhola.

There are also concerns that pesticides used on existing crops could begin to contaminate water sources,

when used in areas close to existing water flows or in areas where the water table is unknown. There are

also a growing number of flies and mosquitoes found in the northern hill areas, which increase the chance

of disease.

CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTS

NEWAH has identified the following climate change projects. Students are invited to address a single issue

or provide an integrated design solution for two or more design areas. Alternative projects may also be

considered.

7.1 WATER SOURCE PROTECTION

Water is sourced from natural springs throughout the hill region. The water pressure in these springs

decreases during the dry season and are then recharged during the monsoon. A combination of changes in

the weather patterns and an increasing demand for water from communities is meaning that the average

water pressure in the springs is decreasing with time. The management and protection of these water

sources is vital for water security in the region. You task is to design a management and protection plan.

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7.2 FOOD SECURITY

Changes in weather patterns including the duration and timing of the monsoons means that farmers are

needing to adapt their agricultural practices to ensure that food crops survive. Your task is to develop a

plan for adaptation of agricultural practices to changes in climate to ensure the food security of the region.

7.3 DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

Natural disasters including floods, drought, earthquakes, landslides, and flash floods are common

throughout the hill region. Your task is to develop a disaster preparedness and response plan for

communities in the region.

7.4 FLY AND MOSQUITO MANAGEMENT

With the changes in weather patterns communities are noticing that there is an increasing number of flies

and mosquitos found in the hill regions. With an increase in these insects comes an increase in the

prevalence of diseases such as malaria. NEWAH would like students to assist in the development of a fly

and mosquito management plan.

7.5 ORGANIC PESTICIDES FOR AGRICULTURE

Pesticides and herbicides are often used in agriculture practices. These chemicals however find their way

into the ground water and contribute to the pollution of the waterways. Your task is to investigate organic

farming practices and find a solution for management of crops that does not involve using chemicals.

CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS



Sensitivity to cultural beliefs.

The longevity of the solution.

The ability of the solution to cater for future needs.

Economic viability to increase early participation.

19

CONTACT US

The EWB Challenge is coordinated by Engineers Without Borders Australia in partnership with EWB UK and

EWB NZ and implemented in conjunction with universities internationally.

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

To participate in the EWB Challenge or for general enquires in Australia or New Zealand please contact:

Jenny Turner

EWB Challenge Coordinator

Engineers Without Borders Australia

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +61 3 9329 1166

UK AND IRELAND

To participate in the EWB Challenge or for general enquires in the UK or Ireland please contact:

Emily Mattiussi

EWB Challenge Manager

Engineers Without Borders UK


Phone: +44(0)207 222 9177

Sylvia Roberge

Learning Programmes Administrator

Engineers Without Borders UK


Phone: +44(0)207 222 9177

ALL OTHER REGIONS

To participate in the EWB Challenge or for general enquires in all other regions please contact:

Jenny Turner

EWB Challenge Coordinator

Engineers Without Borders Australia


Phone: +61 3 9329 1166

Documents

NEWAH EWB Challenge Design Brief