Department For Science, Innovation And Technology

Context Nearly 1 bn people live in mountain landscapes within developing countries. Living with the impacts of multiple hazards in mountainous regions, such as monsoon rainfall, earthquakes and landsliding, is for many a day-to-day reality. Both the short- and long-term impacts of hazards are often exaggerated by their concurrent or sequential timing, and by the socio-political context in which they occur. This context results from fragmented government, rapid population change, and the very localized impacts of global (geo)political interests. As a result, hazards have recurring and disproportionate impacts on some of the most vulnerable members of society. While much research has been conducted on both the socio-political context and the individual hazards and risks that people face, this work is rarely used for disaster risk management. Aims & objectives To tackle this, we build on our existing long-standing collaborations with the aim of examining how best to develop and use new interdisciplinary science to help inform better decision making and reduce the impacts of multi-hazards in mountain countries. We focus on Nepal, which has many similarities to other lower-income countries that endure complex multi-hazards resulting from earthquakes and monsoon rainfall as well as emerging systemic risks. Nepal is also undergoing complex social, political and economic transformation associated with a change to a federal system of government and changing geopolitical pressures, all within a hazardous yet densely populated landscape. The objectives of our research are each designed to make a significant difference to the ways in which residents, government, and the international community take decisions to manage multi-hazards and systemic risks. They include: (1) Thinking critically about our current understanding of the social, political, economic and environmental context within which disasters occur in Nepal, and the data that we use to assess that context; (2) Establishing a new approach to national-scale strategic-planning for complex multi-hazard events, which includes the consequences of linked earthquakes, monsoons and landslides; (3) Developing interdisciplinary science to anticipate, plan for, and communicate the range of hazards that occur during the monsoon; and (4) Finding the best ways to utilise local knowledge and interdisciplinary science to inform how to prepare for and respond to multi-hazard disasters. Potential applications and benefit To achieve our objectives, we bring together a team of Nepali and international researchers from a range of disciplines, including geoscience, social science and the humanities, who have track records in various facets of this issue. Together, we aim to: (1) develop new fundamental data and evidence to underpin decision-making, (2) establish pathways for getting the best possible information to those who need it, in a format and timeframe that are useful and usable, (3) think critically about how multi-hazards and risks can be effectively managed, and (4) nurture an environment that supports the young researchers and practitioners who will be the future of disaster risk management in Nepal. We ground our proposal within the context of our long-term community-based work with rural residents in Nepal, and reflect upon their articulations of the need to make better decisions to reduce the risks that they face. We also build upon our work on managing risks with the Government of Nepal and the United Nations, who coordinate disaster planning in the country. The Government, UN, and major development and humanitarian organisations have been involved from the outset in developing this proposal to ensure an agile, joined-up, evidence-based approach to multi-hazard and risk management.

Gham Power will install an integrated solar PV and dual chemistry battery power supply system on a site in the Kathmandu valley to trial innovative new power control and monitoring systems. Swanbarton, leaders in energy storage and microgrids, will provide innovative battery control technology. HiT Power Limited will provide an advanced switch and a seamless grid-forming power conversion system. Scene Connect will provide an advanced distribution network monitoring solution. Practical Action Consulting will assess the solar PV and energy storage market, carry out a gender audit and write an action plan to promote training and development to meet targets for gender and social inclusion, and study the impact of the growth of the clean energy sector on recruitment and employment in the workforce.

The project aims to demonstrate discontinuous cost savings in upgrading transmission and distribution capacity via the application of capacity-enhancing coatings to overhead lines.

Project GANESHA focusses on development, manufacture and implementation of an innovative battery module solution for powering Nepal rural-based small passenger vehicles and off-grid low-power home energy systems. Solar-power installations will be constructed to pilot our innovation in two seperate rural-Nepal pilot sites with marginal-/zero-power access. Our consortium including three-UK and two-Nepal organisations, was formed to assist solution-development for commercial challenges faced by the Nepal Electric Vehicle Institute (NEVI) in achieving its ambition to provide Nepal-wide zero-carbon public-transport/power access. NEVI were established in the mid-1990s when growing urban-population densities led to exponential-increase in urban-internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle registrations/polluton. NEVI were pioneers in retrofitting Nepal-ICE-rickshaws to EV, and developing battery-solutions to power these vehicles. It rents batteries to marginalised-/low income-communities through its its affordable model, to facilitate their independant-income-generation (60% of its work-force being female). Limitations of Nepal's rural-/urban-location power grid/distribution restrict EV-rollout across the country. NEVI are forced to depot-recharge EV-rickshaws during night-periods when power-demand is low and risk of powercuts are minimised. Limited depot-space and grid-power restrictions limit EV-rickshaws numbers NEVI can provide each location's public-transport market. NEVI wish to access solar-power to charge vehicle battery packs and envision a removable solution simlar to products currently marketed in India and Sub-Saharan Africa to expand its service to rural-communities where solutions are most needed (aligning with its original mission). However, current module-products are recharged at low C-rates and require large capital-investment. To supply a public-transport EV-fleet NEVI would require large module-stocks and high-area solar-arrays. Our projects innovation/case study-sites resolve this dilemma. A new module will be designed, manufactured, and mobilised incorporating PAK-Engineering Ltd's robust-/lightweight-heat exchanger technology. PAK's system facilitates high C-rate charging and design-versatility enabling PAK to adapt/optimise its function to suit multiple environmental-conditions. EPT Ltd will design module-incorporated state-sensor/communications technology so module-function is optimised, and location tracked when in use. Gamma-Meon Ltd will design, adapt and incorporate a specilised payment systems platform that EV-rickshaw operators and users will use to access NEVI services. Our solution will reduce mentioned-capital investment-requirments, and enable rollout to two rural-communities with marginal-/zero-power access in project-timescales. NEVI via partneship with Nepal-famed gender/social-equity pioneer 3 Sisters Trekking Group will construct two rural-solar arrays for charging our-modules, for powering 8-10 EV-vehicles adapted to location-conditions, and provide home-energy-kits for lighting and small-device charging for imroving life-quality in these locations.

Harvesting hydrokinetic energy from running river water presents a highly attractive addition to the existing renewable energy sectors. Critically, and unlike most other renewables, this technology guarantees a predictable and consistent energy output which can contribute to the baseload power requirements of its energy off-takers. AEL has developed an innovative hybrid technology which couples run-of-river hydrokinetic generation with solar - the Floating Instream Tidal and Solar (FITS) power plant. FITS technology has been specifically optimized for river deployments, and is scalable to enable both energy access and utility scale power generation. This project will deliver the first fully developed FITS pilot, supplying constant renewable power to an off-grid community in rural Nepal. The electricity supplied will be used to provide lighting and cooking facilities to households in the community, and will additionally power water filtration and pumping equipment, providing access to clean water for drinking and water for agricultural industry.

MRC Joint Global Development Trial to Field-test socioeconomic support packages for TB-affected households to identify which is most feasible and acceptable in Nepal; inform design and delivery of a definitive, large-scale trial to evaluate the impact of the selected support package on health, finances, and stigma of TB-affected households.Consolidate partnerships with communities, the Nepal NTP, and WHO, to ensure the future trial is achievable, act as a model for other LICs, and informs TB policy and practice within four districts of Nepal with high TB and poverty: Chitwan, Mahottari, Morang, and Pyuthan.