Urban Areas Of Nepal Research Articles

The Effect of Social Media Influencer on Brand Switching Behavior of Millennial and Generation Z

This study examines the effect of social media influencers on brand switching behaviors among Millennials and Generation Z in urban areas of Nepal, specifically focusing on the major cities of Kathmandu and Lalitpur. A sample size of 150 respondents was determined using the rule of 1:10. Data were analyzed using regression analysis to assess the relationships between social media influencers and brand switching. The findings indicate that social media influencers play a significant role in influencing customer decisions regarding brand switching. In contrast, opinion leaders and celebrities did not show any significant influence on this behavior. This suggests that social network users, particularly younger consumers, have a substantial impact on brand switching behaviors. The study also highlights the prevalent use of social media among younger demographics, particularly on platforms like Instagram, reinforcing the importance of social media in shaping consumer choices and opinions. The results have important implications for businesses operating in the digital age. By effectively leveraging social media influencers, companies can better tap into the preferences and motivations of Millennials and Generation Z, ultimately fostering brand loyalty and trust. Overall, this research contributes to the understanding of the dynamics between social media influencers and consumer behavior, emphasizing the need for businesses to adapt their marketing strategies to engage effectively with younger consumers in an increasingly digital marketplace.

Prediction of the size and spatial distribution of free-roaming dog populations in urban areas of Nepal

A factor constraining the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies is limited information on the size and spatial distribution of free-roaming dog populations (FRDPs). The aim of this study was to develop a statistical model to predict the size of free-roaming dog populations and the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs in urban areas of Nepal, based on real-world dog census data from the Himalayan Animal Rescue Trust (HART) and Animal Nepal. Candidate explanatory variables included proximity to roads, building density, specific building types, human population density and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI). A multivariable Poisson point process model was developed to estimate dog population size in four study locations in urban Nepal, with building density and distance from nearest retail food establishment or lodgings as explanatory variables. The proposed model accurately predicted, within a 95 % confidence interval, the surveyed FRDP size and spatial distribution for all four study locations. This model is proposed for further testing and refinement in other locations as a decision-support tool alongside observational dog population size estimates, to inform dog health and public health initiatives including rabies elimination efforts to support the ‘zero by 30′ global mission.

Influence of aluminum powder content and powder-to-sand ratio on the physical and mechanical properties of aerated lightweight mortar

After the 2015 Nepal earthquake, numerous human casualties resulted from the collapse of substantial brick walls. Concurrently, the proliferation of air pollution attributed to brick kilns has become a pressing concern in urban areas of Nepal. The dual challenge of fortifying building structures and safeguarding the urban environment necessitates innovative solutions. This paper outlines the development of aerated lightweight mortar, incorporating diverse proportions of aluminium powder and various powder-to-sand combinations, aiming to achieve a density below 1000 kg/m3. Three fundamental mixtures, characterized by water-powder ratios (W/P) of 63.3 %, 57.9 %, and 35.3 %, and total powder to sand ratios (P/S) of 0.344, 0.520, and 1.275 (by weight) were employed. The aluminium powder content ranged from 0 % to 1.2 % (by weight of cement). Standard-sized cubes and cylinders were prepared to evaluate the impact of aluminium powder on density, strength, and water absorption. From the test results, the most suitable mixture for aeration proved to be the mortar with a W/P of 35.3 % and P/S of 1.275. This formulation demonstrated a significant 50 % density reduction (<1000 kg/m3) with 0.6 % aluminium powder, accompanied by a 58 % decrease in 28-day compressive strength, a 52 % drop in modulus of elasticity, and a 44 % reduction in splitting tensile strength. The study emphasized the critical role of both aluminium powder content and powder-to-sand ratio in mortar aeration. The developed aerated lightweight mortar not only enhances seismic resilience by reducing building weight but also serves as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional burnt clay bricks, mitigating environmental impact.

Effectiveness of a group-based Diabetes Prevention Education Program (DiPEP) in a population with pre-diabetes: a cluster randomised controlled trial in Nepal

BackgroundAlthough several lifestyle intervention studies have been conducted in low/middle-income countries, there were no such studies in Nepal. Therefore, a group-based culturally tailored Diabetes Prevention Education Program (DiPEP) was conducted...

Effect of Influencers on Consumer Purchase Intention

This study examines the effect of influencers on consumer purchase intention in the urban areas of Nepal, specifically the major cities of Kathmandu and Lalitpur. The sample size for this study is 100 respondents, determined using the rule of 1:4. Descriptive statistics, correlation, ANOVA, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. The findings suggest that marketers do not have to choose different influencers according to gender or levels of education, but rather according to age group. Additionally, marketers should consider using influencer marketing and choose influencers based on their use of influencer marketing tools, credibility in their content, and their product target market. This study adds to the existing research on the impact of social media and influencer marketing on consumer behavior in Nepal.

567-P: Impact of Diabetes Prevention Education Program on Diabetes Knowledge among Adults with Prediabetes—A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Nepal

Background: Diabetes knowledge is important for diabetes prevention but has been less studied among people with prediabetes. This study aimed to assess the impact of a community-based lifestyle intervention program called Diabetes Prevention Education Program (DiPEP) on diabetes knowledge among adults with prediabetes in Nepal. Method: This study is a part of a two-arm open cluster randomized controlled trial conducted from October 2019-September 2021 in two urban areas of Nepal. Participants of the intervention arm received four 1-hour weekly education sessions, follow-up for the next 5 months, diabetes prevention education brochure, exercise calendar and daily food logbook. The control arm received an education brochure at baseline and 1-hour education session after endline data collection. The change in diabetes knowledge was assessed using Nepali validated 24-items Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ), with higher score representing better disease knowledge. Linear mixed model was used to analyze the impact of the DiPEP on diabetes knowledge score with intent-to-treat approach. Results: A total of 291 participants were recruited in the trial with mean age of 50.3±7.6 years and 67% were female. Only 290 participants had baseline DKQ (158 intervention, 132 control), out of these 258 completed the endline DKQ (139 intervention, 119 control). At baseline, mean DKQ score was 9.2 (SD 5.2) in intervention and 10.6 (SD 4.8) in control arm. After the intervention, mean change in the score between intervention and control group was 0.4 (95% CI -1.0-1.7) among those with good compliance to DiPEP. The results did not change from main analysis for those who attended ≥3 of all 4 sessions. Conclusion: Diabetes knowledge did not improve significantly after the intervention among the participants. Regular and frequent engagement of participants might help to improve diabetes knowledge among the individuals. Disclosure P.Shakya: None. A.Shrestha: None. B.M.Karmacharya: None. A.Shrestha: None. M.Bajracharya: None. B.E.Kulseng: None. E.Skovlund: None. A.Sen: None. Funding Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Public Health and Nursing (81850087)

Urbanization Trend in Nepal

Though urbanization is a symbol of modernization which brings changes in economy, division of labour, production of goods, availability of modern urban amenities, urban regions in Nepal are like rural in nature. This study has been carried out to analyze the trend of urbanization from the first scientific census 1952/054 to the latest one in 2021. This study is descriptive type and based on secondary data. Periodic census, CBS publications, Nepal urban development strategy 2017, world urbanization prospect 2018 and other scholarly articles have been used to prepare this paper. Data have been presented in tables, trend line graph, and bar graph. The 1952/054 census reveals that 2.9 percent population resides in 10 urban areas. After 50 years in 2001, urban population reached up to 13.9% with 6.65 percent urban growth rate during the year. Political decision and reclassification of urban areas increased urban population 27.2% by the year 2014; and 66.2% by the year 2021 with 293 urban areas. This dramatic change in the size of urban population lacks urban amenities set by local government operation act 2017. The urbanization level of Nepal is very low by all standards but growth has been rapid in recent years. Urban area of Nepal are facing deficiencies of basic urban infrastructures and facilities such as drinking water, solid waste management, sanitation, environmental pollution, housing, transportation facilities and shortage of energy. Further research might be conducted on this area focusing on the comparative study on urbanization and existing urban pre-requisites of urbanization as per the standard norms. This area attracts further research on providing urban amenities to rural areas as an alternative model of urbanization. This research reveals increasing urbanization trends of Nepal including recent census data and urban amenities which is different from other similar previous research studies.

Birds along the Bagmati river corridor in urban areas and factors affecting their abundance

Bagmati River is considered a potential biodiversity conservation area due to its unique and diversified habitat in urban area. However, little information is available on the bird diversity, their abundance and factor affecting on bird species. We aimed to explore the bird diversity and factors affecting their abundance along the Bagmati River corridor in urban areas of Nepal. This study generated data using a point count method along the Bagmati River corridor between October 2021 and April 2022. We identified 67 bird species belonging to 11 orders and 28 families. Passeriformes and Muscicapidae were the most prevalent orders and families among the birds that were observed. Among the feeding guilds, insectivore birds were recorded as the highest bird species and followed by omnivores, carnivores, frugivores and granivores. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index of bird species was 3.35, while the Pielou's evenness index was 0.796. The bird abundance was increased in presence of tree, near the settlement, nearer to sewage, at low temperatures, increasing distance to water source and road whereas decreased with the distance to open land and at a higher elevation. Bagmati River corridor at urban area is rich in biodiversity as it supports more number of various bird species and their abundance is affected by presence of tree, distance to the water source, road, settlement, open land, sewage, temperature and elevation. Thus, knowledge on the conservation of habitat and minimizing the factors that affect the bird's abundance helps in protecting the status of avian species by developing site specific conservation action plan.

Clinical and Demographic Profile of Covid-19 Infected Pregnant Women admitted in Obstetric Ward

Aims: To evaluate the severity of the infection among pregnant women in an urban area of Nepal during the first surge in COVID-19 cases in Nepal in the year 2020.&#x0D; Methods: This is a retrospective and descriptive study carried out at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal, from August 2020 to January 2021. All the Covid infected pregnant women admitted in Obstetric ward for various presenting symptoms were included.&#x0D; Results: Among 52 Covid-19 positive pregnant women admitted for various obstetrical and medical complaints, 90.38% were asymptomatic at the time of admission. Those who were symptomatic (9.61%) had mild form of infection. Majority of infected women were admitted in the month of October and November with most common presentation being women in labour (48.07 %).&#x0D; Conclusions: Pregnant women with SARS Covid-19 infection has no greater threat to their health.

Nutritional Status and Practices among Urban Children: A Hospital-based Cross-sectional Study.

Child undernutrition has been a prevailing issue in Nepal and the burden still remains unacceptably high. It is important to look at how infants and young children's feeding practices and nutritional status are affected by nutrition transitioning in rapidly urbanizing Nepal. A cross-sectional research design was employed with healthy children aged 6-23 months and their mothers visiting the hospital for regular immunization services as the study population. Data was collected from 305 children over six months from September 2019 to January 2020. Anthropometric measurements (weight and length) were collected of all children and their mothers'/care takers were interviewed on the Infant and Young Child Feeding practices. Data was analyzed using WHO Anthro Survey Analyzer, Microsoft Excel and STATA 15 Results: Early initiation of breastfeeding was 47.9% and use of bottle was 48.5%. Minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet were 66.2%,79.1% and 54.4% respectively. Consumption of nutrient-poor packaged foods was 63.0%with biscuits being the most common type (52.1%) and 32.8% of the children were found to be drinking tea. Overall,13.8% of the children were stunted,3.9% were underweight and1.7% were wasted while 2.3% were overweight. Practices related to breast feeding and diets of young children in urban areas of Nepal are not optimal with only around half meeting the minimum standards recommended by the WHO. Therefore, there is a pressing need to wake up to the rapidly changing dietary patterns among young children through necessary urban nutrition policies and programmatic interventions.

Minimizing surface run-off, improving underground water recharging, and on-site rain harvesting in the Kathmandu valley

Nepal’s political institutions and administrative units were thoroughly restructured in 2015 with the promulgation of the new Constitution. Several rural areas were combined to meet the definition of urban threshold criteria to classify rural areas into urban categories. Accordingly, over 3,900 local political and administrative units were amalgamated into 753 units, of which, 293 units are classified as urban. Within these newly defined urban areas, many natural environments have been converted into impervious surfaces such as paved roads, sidewalks, and building roofs. These impervious surfaces have drastically increased the amount of surface run-offs—often termed as “urban floods” --under increasing precipitation caused by global climate change. These incidences have negatively impacted to the groundwater recharge processes in the urban areas.&#x0D; Data on groundwater recharge rates are needed in the context of global climate change to understand the status of groundwater recharge processes in the urban areas of Nepal. However, due to various limitations, this study only focuses around the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal to understand: a) how the expansion of urban, peri-urban, and associated areas have resulted in decreasing groundwater recharges; b) how groundwater is affected by the year-to-year variability of precipitation amount (low and high intensity) with the conversion of the natural landscape into built-up areas; and c) how the changing trends in precipitation and evapotranspiration may impact future groundwater availability. This study is based on a review of the literature and the analysis of secondary data available from the government and various social media and authors' professional experiences. The study ends with some recommendations based on experiences from other parts of the world on groundwater recharge processes.

Investigation of ground fissures at Kausaltar, Kathmandu by in-situ testing and spatial geographical mapping

On April 25th, 2015, the Gorkha earthquake jolted the central region of Nepal, causing extensive damage to buildings and grounds in the urban areas of Nepal. One embankment section of Kathmandu-Bhaktapur Road, crosses a small valley in the center of the Kathmandu Basin. The earthquake has caused this embankment to deform with its supporting soil. Investigating the mechanism of this ground deformation from the geotechnical and geological viewpoints was deemed necessary to examine possible countermeasures. For this purpose, we conduct several in-situ tests such as microtremor measurements, standard penetration tests, and Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves. These investigations make two soft soil layers emerge as a causative factor. The estimated 3D soil profile shows that the deformed ground overlaps the area where the weak soil layers are below the groundwater level. The 3D soil profile also suggests that groundwater lowering using existing wells can reduce the water-saturated area by 81%. Carbon dating shows that the causative layer formed before the Paleo-Kathmandu Lake dried up.

Satisfaction of Old Age Allowance among Senior Citizen in Lamjung District, Nepal

The old age allowance is the non-contribution allowance provided by the government of Nepal to improve the social and economic status of older people. The purpose of this study was to compare the social and economic impact of old age allowance and its satisfaction on older people in rural and urban areas in Nepal. A cross sectional, quantitative study was conducted in two different areas (Sunderbazar municipality and Kwholasothar rural municipality) in Lamjung. The information was collected from 202 elderly people (55.4%) from urban and 90 (44.6%) from rural areas) to know about their satisfaction in various aspects like social, economic, health, etc. regarding allowance by face-to-face interview. Chi-square test, t-test as well as One-way ANOVA tests were applied to find the factors associated with the satisfaction of elderly people among rural and urban areas. Elderly in rural were more satisfied than elderly from urban areas. The respondents in rural areas were satisfied in all five domains social, health, economic, basic needs and self-esteem but the respondents in urban areas were found to be satisfied only in two domains; self-respect and economic. The satisfaction of respondents with OAA is different in urban and rural areas. People who were satisfied with this allowance reported that it was an honor from the government and they can use this money on their own. It is an important contribution to keeping older people connected with family and community.

Implementing ACT-Based Modalities for Establishing Connectivity among Teachers and Students in the Context of COVID-19

The government aims to make education accessible to all the people of the country can be fulfilled if the online education system is developed enough for all. The country may be benefited by the use of the right type of education system. Learners and teachers get advantages if the education system is reformed using digital technologies like Automatic Call Tree (ACT)-based modalities. Such types of education system has key significant in the pandemic situation which have been facing since two years. This study is assumed to examine the Automatic Call Tree (ACT) based modalities and their utilization for connection between students, teachers, parents and school management committee; and some recommendations are made concerning online education. The main information source for this study is primary. Instruments used are questionnaires, interview with video recording, phone call, and class room observation. The preliminary finding showed that there is a scarcity of orientations of online education to parents, students, teachers, and administrators, though all were found to realize its importance. Likewise, major problems found are lack of digital devices, regular power supply and backup; and network connectivity. Based on the opinions of the respondents and observations of the situations of the different parts of the country running online education during this pandemic period, many recommendations are made. The country needs strategic plans and policy to make online education accessible to all learners specially in urban areas of Nepal and this will ensure online education smooth. It concludes that the Automatic Call Tree (ACT)-based modalities became fruitful for some schools of Nepal during Corona Virus (COVID)-19 pandemic. But many of them are facing different problems while conducting online classes, examination and result processing. Providing practical knowledge and skills about engineering, mathematics, health science, account, computer science subjects are very difficult and to examine them.

Blood Lead Level among Children between 8-18 years of Age by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Lead is naturally available toxic heavy metal which is one of the main causes of environmental pollution and produces detrimental effects on health, particularly young children. Lead toxicity has become an emerging global burden of disease varying with the age, socio-economic status, occupation, industrialization, social customs and behaviours. The objective of this study was to find out the baseline blood lead level among children between 8-18 years. A descriptive study was conducted in Gokarneshwor Municipality, Kathmandu with a total of 160 children between 8-18 years of age from 2018 to 2019 after taking ethical approval from Research and Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 17-074/075). Informed written consent was taken from the principal along with their respective parents and semi structured questionnaires were asked to students. Sample size was calculated and simple random sampling was done. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science version 16. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and descriptive statistics. The mean blood lead level of the children was 4.39±7.35 µg/dl. Mean hemoglobin being 12.63g/dl; out of 160 children 30 (18.75%) children had blood lead levels. Children with elevated blood lead level had mean haemoglobin level within normal range (13.05gm/dl), however out of 30 children, 8 (27%) had haemoglobin level below normal. Lead exposure in the children of urban area of Nepal is considerably high as compared to similar studies coducted in similar settings.

Differences in cancer incidence and pattern between urban and rural Nepal: one-year experience from two population-based cancer registries.

Variations in cancer incidence, mortality and pattern exist in rural and urban areas. Understanding these differences helps in developing targeted cancer prevention and control strategies. However, no previous studies have explored the differences in cancer demographics between the rural and urban areas of Nepal. The data of Kathmandu Valley (urban area) Population-Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) and Rukum (rural area) PBCR were analysed to identify the differences in cancer pattern in rural and urban areas.The age-adjusted incidence rate (AAR) in Kathmandu was higher than that in Rukum (1.6 times among males and 1.9 times among females). The top two leading sites in males were lungs and stomach in both the regions; however, the rates were higher in Kathmandu. The incidence rate for cancer of the urinary bladder among males in Kathmandu was particularly higher – 4.4 times that of Rukum. In females, the leading site of cancer in Kathmandu was breast, which was eight times higher compared to Rukum, whereas the incidence rate of cervix cancer in Kathmandu is 30% less than in Rukum. The incidence of tobacco-related cancer was found to be higher in Kathmandu compared to Rukum.These findings reveal the need for different policy priorities for cancer control in the urban versus rural regions of Nepal, based on the different demographics of cancer in the two areas. Similar studies from other regions of Nepal are needed to develop a targeted cancer control strategy.

Study on Household Energy Usage Patterns in Urban and Rural Areas of Nepal

In the last decades, the household’s energy demand has increased significantly in various countries including Nepal. In the case ofNepal, 94% of energy use is in the domestic sector. There is a possibility of a huge increase in electricity production, but we are stillsuffering from load shedding due to the high electricity demand. Electricity use is an important factor for the quality of life anddevelopment of a nation. There is not a sufficient number of researches done about electricity consumption in different climaticregions of Nepal which are analyzed by the income level of residents. This study gives descriptive information on the household’senergy uses patterns and investigates the electricity use rate, using electrical appliances in households. This study also identifies themajor source of energy use and awareness of energy use. The data were collected from 442 households in three regions in the winterseason of 2018. Kalikot is a rural area, Chitwan is a semi-urban, and Kathmandu is an urban area. We have collected electricity bills,family income, and family size, electricity using appliances, expenditure for energy and energy use for heating/cooling, cooking, andlighting. The electricity was used only for lighting purposes in the rural area, but other electrical appliances were used in semi-urbanand urban areas. The amount of electricity use has not affected by household income level in the rural area, but it has affected in semi-urban and urban areas. The level of education affects the use of the LED significantly. This study would be helpful to know theelectricity use patterns which is useful for energy saving and energy management of the rural and urban areas of Nepal.

Association between the frequency of television watching and overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age in Nepal: Analysis of data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity, particularly among women, is increasing in Nepal. Previous studies in the South Asia have found television watching to be a risk factor for overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age. However, this association had not been studied in the context of Nepal. This study aims to identify the association between frequency of television watching and overweight and obesity among Nepalese women of reproductive age. This cross-sectional study utilized the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016 (NDHS 2016) data. A total weighted sample of 6,031 women were included in the final analyses. The women were 15-49 years of age and were either not pregnant or had not delivered a child within the two months prior to the survey. Body mass index (BMI) was the primary outcome of this study, which was categorized using an Asia-specific cutoff value. Normal and/or underweight was defined as a BMI <23.0 kg/m2, overweight was defined as a BMI between 23.0 kg/m2 and <27.5 kg/m2, and obesity was defined as a BMI ≥27.5 kg/m2. Frequency of watching television was the main independent variable of this study, which was divided into the following three categories: not watching television at all, watching television less than once a week, and watching television at least once a week. Multilevel ordered logistic regression was conducted to find the factors associated with overweight and obesity. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant in the final model. Around 35% of the participants were overweight or obese (overweight: 23.7% and obese: 11.6%). A majority of the study participants was aged between 15 and 24 years (36.5%), and resided in an urban area (63.2%), Province No. 3 (22.3%), and the Terai ecological region (49.5%). Around one-third (34.0%) of the participants received no formal education while an almost similar proportion (35.5%) completed secondary education. Approximately half of the study participants (50.6%) reported watching television at least once a week, whereas more than a quarter (28.7%) of them did not watch television at all. Women who watched television at least once a day had a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than the other groups (p-value <0.0001). Women who watched television at least once a week were 1.3 times more likely to be overweight or obese in comparison to women who never watched television (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0-1.7; p-value <0.05). In the urban areas, women who watched television at least once a week were 40% more likely to be overweight or obese than those who did not watch television at all (AOR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.7; p-value <0.01). No significant association between overweight and obesity and the frequency of viewing television was observed in the rural area. Watching television at least once a week is associated with overweight and obesity in women of reproductive age living in the urban areas of Nepal. Public health promotion programs should raise awareness among women regarding harmful health consequences of sedentary lifestyle due to television watching.

Complementary Feeding Practices and it's Associated Factors Among Mothers in Selected Urban Area of Nepal

Poor complementary feeding contributes to the characteristic negative growth trends leading to death as well. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess complementary feeding practices and associated factors in the selected urban area of Nepal. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 237 mothers having children aged 6-23 months in Bhaktapur Municipality. Pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data using a face-to-face interview. Data were entered in Excel followed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to determine the feeding practices of infants as per WHO recommendation. Out of the 237 children, 54.8% were boys and 42.2% were girls. In this study 61% were breastfed within 1 hour of birth, 33% were given pre-lacteal feeding, 19% were given complementary feed on time, 55.3% had good minimum meal frequency, and 47.70% were given minimum number of food groups and 26.5% were practicing good minimum acceptable diet. Total Kcal intake supplied is equal to WHO recommended standard however, triggering 84% of participants included processed food as a part of complementary feeding which is never the good practice. The majority of mothers lack the knowledge regarding ideal feeding practices as calorie intake was equal to WHO recommendation. There was a gap in knowledge and practice regarding duration of exclusive breastfeeding and initiation and continuation of ideal complementary feeding. The rate of complementary feeding was found on declining trend. Emphasis given to educate mothers about complementary feeding practices can be very useful for the purpose.

A Classification Approach for Corrosion Rating of Soil to Buried Water Pipelines: A Case Study in Budhanilkantha-Maharajganj Roadway Areas of Nepal

The present study was focused to estimate six characteristics of soil specimens taken from 0.3 to 1.5 m sampling depth of six sampling sites of Budhanilkantha-Maharajganj roadsides using standard methods, and was assessed their corrosive nature to the buried-metallic pipelines using an empirical corrosion rating model. The estimated soil pH, moisture, resistivity, redox potential (ORP), chloride and sulfate ions were 6.4-7.9, 7-45%, 4.5 × 103-45.5 × 103 Ohm. cm, 317-514 mV (SHE), 12-86 ppm, and 40-294 ppm, respectively, in all the soil sample specimens. The experimental results indicated that the soils could be rated as mildly corrosive to less corrosive groups to the buried galvanized-steel and cast iron pipes in the study areas. A good positive or negative correlation coefficient between resistivity, moisture, chloride and sulfate contents implies that these soil parameters have an equal contribution to the rating of soil corrosivity. A polyethylene-sheet wrapping (i.e., encasement) around the galvanized-steel and cast iron water pipelines or the use of non-conducting materials of gravel/sand around the burying ground could be sufficient for the extension of their life up to 50 years or more. The empirical model is successfully applied for the corrosion rating of soil samples and could be progressive in the future for soil corrosion rating of soils to the underground waterworks. Present findings would be insightful and suggestive in making the corrosive land maps of the studied areas which would be helpful for the potable water pipeline works in other urban areas of Nepal.