Renewable World has worked with the Berichaal Chepang community in Nepal on the Solar Energy for Community Resilience project to install a solar-powered flood early warning system.
Berichaal Chepang, in the Surkhet District, lies on the banks of the Behri River, which is prone to flooding.
In 2014 the Behri River rose to ‘extreme flood levels’, causing widespread destruction to property and livestock, claiming the lives of 24 people and destroying 1465 homes.
The flood warning system triggers a siren to alert the community of an impending flood or other disasters.
A final test of the system was recently carried out, which was a resounding success.
The system benefits 300 households in Berichaal Chepang and was installed in coordination with the Department of Hydrology & Meteorology and local government.
It was installed by Renewable World partner Real Time Solutions in collaboration with a locally-based company Sundar Nepal Sanstha.
The system is situated on top of a centrally-located school, and consists of an audio remote terminal unit – a microprocessor-based digital device that can be used to sound a warning siren.
A three-metre aluminium mast has been erected to install the solar panel and all the early warning system components.
The unit has sufficient memory to store hours of recorded sound messages that can be triggered locally or remotely via radio, cellular network, satellite network or internet.
It can also be connected to cloud-based systems to automate mass notifications.