Engineering Projects Competition for Nepal to be held in Ireland

Kathmandu / January 18: With a view to helping quake-affected communities in Nepal, a competition with the slogan – ‘Where there is no Engineer – Designing for Community Resilience” is being convened in European country Ireland.

Around 300 students from various Engineering colleges and universities in Ireland are taking part in the competition scheduled to begin on January 19.

Some of the projects submitted to the competition include wind energy mobile charger, water filtering mechanism for remote villages in Nepal, electricity generation from wood fire in addition to building earthquake resistant houses, said Deepesh Man Shakya, President of Nepal Ireland Society.

Engineers Without Borders (EWB), Ireland and Development Technology in the Community (DTC) Research Group have jointly organized the competition. The initiative has been funded by Irish Aid and delivered in partnership with EWB-Ireland, Concern Worldwide, Nepal Ireland Society and Engineers Ireland.

According to the organizer, all the winners will have the opportunity to visit Nepal to have firsthand experience of the challenges facing by local communities in the aftermath of the earthquake. “By participating in the programme, students and professionals will have the opportunity to design creative solutions to real life development projects,” said Declan Alcock, Director of EWB-Ireland.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Joan Burton will inaugurate the competition in Dublin at Dublin Institute of Technology on coming Tuesday. The inauguration ceremony will be followed by Nepalese Cultural Evening with a view to promote culture of Nepal through music and dance.

“We specifically focus on the transitional period between ‘temporary shelter and semi-permanent house’, and discuss the differences between temporary and permanent housing concepts, DTC research group has stated in its website.

The website further stated, “We gradually add alternative techniques and materials to the designs. During the course we introduce unconventional materials in order to create enthusiasm and awareness about alternative construction techniques and the need for sustainable solutions,” RSS