Remotely Designed Appropriate Technology for Emergency Disaster Response in Nepal

Abstract

This paper reports on the application of a remotely designed appropriate technology (AT) to emergency needs in a natural disaster. Significantly, the present strategy was compared and contrasted with that of a traditional sustainable community development (SCD) strategy. In response to a large earthquake in Nepal, engineering students at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) examined technological interventions for the emergency needs of affected communities in the disaster's immediate aftermath. Using community information acquired through interviews and secondary data, they developed a simple biosand filter that is inexpensive, easy to build and made from materials that are available, accessible and affordable to beneficiaries. Students chose a design, built it, tested it and wrote instruction manuals in both Nepali and pictogram formats. These manuals were then distributed through NGO partners doing relief work in Nepal. Finally, this study explores how the use of an AT assessment tool–originally designed for decision support in the project design phase–might instead be used for monitoring and evaluation of AT effectiveness in an emergency response scenario.