Issues of Broader Concern for Engineers
Heinz C. Luegenbiehl, Rockwell F. Clancy, in Global Engineering Ethics, 2017
Biogas Digesters in Nepal: The Importance of Culture in User-Centered Design (Successes)
In 2008, the student chapter of EWB at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology (hereafter Technion) worked closely with the 8000-person village of Namsaling, Nepal, to improve the design and creation of biogas digesters—devices used to produce gas for cooking and fertilizer for growing. Through consultation and work with local stakeholders, the student team gained a sense of the culture, needs, and values of those in Namsaling, resulting in the implementation of less costly digesters.
Biogas digesters can solve a variety of energy, environmental, and health issues in rural communities. Biowaste—animal and sometimes human excrement, along with weeds or other biological waste—are placed in the digester. As the material decomposes, it produces gas that can be pumped out and used as cooking fuel and to heat homes. The remaining waste can be used as a fertilizer for local farms and gardens. This gas reduces the amount of wood burned, therefore reducing deforestation and exposer to the toxic smoke and fumes produced by traditional wood-burning stoves, in turn reducing respiratory problems (Tugend, 2011). Therefore, the use of natural gas from biogas digesters contributes to environmental sustainability and the health of rural communities.124
When the Technion student project began in 2008, Nepal already had 200,000 biogas digesters in use (Stricker, 2010), although their construction cost considerable time and money. To build a digester of this kind, a large pit was dug and soil used to create a dome, often by the children of the community. Concrete was then laid over the dome, and soil removed to create the main chamber of the digester. Digging the pit, fashioning the soil dome, laying the concrete, and removing the soil afterwards required tremendous time and effort. Technion students believed they could design a cheaper, easier way of building biogas digesters.
Students made several trips to the village, “to work with villagers in defining and collecting data required for the design of sustainable and appropriate projects” (Lichtman, n.d.). Additionally, they worked closely with the Namsaling Community Development Center (NCDC), Biogas Sector Partnership (BSP), and families from Namsaling. The NCDC and families in Namsaling not only assisted in the development of a solution but also funded a third of the project (Tugend, 2011). With these partners, the team redesigned the dome mold used in the construction process.
Instead of using soil to build the dome, the team used bamboo—a material widely available in Namsaling. After the concrete on top hardened, the mold could be removed from the pit more easily and reused to create other digester chambers. This significantly reduced the amount of money and time needed to create digesters. After this new design was implemented, villagers reported a 36 kg reduction in daily wood use per family (Lichtman, n.d.). The Technion team's “deep acquaintance with the community” in Namsaling undoubtedly contributed to the success of this project (EWB, n.d.).
Students from Technion spent considerable time with the community stakeholders, learning more about their values and economic needs, for example, the Nepalese emphasis on family and respect for community members, which was important to the construction and use of the digesters. Additionally, the economic benefits associated with digester fertilizer are particularly significant: the fertilizer is used in Namsaling to grow important cash crops such cardamom and ginger (Namsaling village, n.d.). The success of this project emphasizes the importance of considering the values, needs, and circumstances of the Nepalese people affected by engineering aid projects. Even with the best of intentions, neglecting these considerations can result in the failure of engineering aid projects:
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In your opinion, who is primarily responsible for the success of this project? Justify your response.
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Did the financial contributions of the Namsaling community help this project to succeed? Why might the financial support of beneficiaries be helpful to the success of a project—versus projects funded entirely by external organizations?