Architects Without Frontiers | Australia

Summary

AWF volunteers have been assisting Himalayan communities in Nepal with waste management and community development projects since 2003. AWF provides funding and volunteers for the development of waste management and education programmes and the construction of waste facilities such as incinerators and rubbish pits. To date, one incinerator has been constructed at the Sherlo Monastery, and a total of eight rubbish pits have been built in the villages of Pangkarma, Mopung, Phungmochhe, Sumjingma, Indingma and Ookpa.

Client

Everest Track Communities

Project Partners

Himalayan Yeti Club
Lonely Planet Foundation

Project Leader

Beau Beza, Ex-Director, AWF (Melbourne); Postgraduate Coordinator, Environment & Planning Programme, RMIT University, Australia

Nepal Project Leader

Ang Tshering Sherpa

Project Team

Garry Ormston
Dan Demant
John Bahoric

Commencement Date

June 2005

Background and Description

Discussions with villagers in the mountainous and inaccessible Mt Everest Trek area revealed that they dispose their waste in the forest or river, because they perceive that “it goes away”. After discussing this issue with the village elders AWF came up with the idea of rubbish pits. Word spread quickly, and more villagers and then monks from nearby monasteries started asking for AWF’s help. So what started off as one small project ended up becoming a multitude of works. The biggest challenges for AWF in developing these waste facilities are localising environmental change and guarding against harm to humans and animals. The process involves discussing a waste management strategy with the communities to assist management of their household rubbish. The rubbish pits have been designed to prevent people and animals from falling in, as well as to prevent animals from removing rubbish and redepositing it in nearby forests. The footprint of rubbish pits and incinerators is relatively small. By borrowing the form of local structures and incorporating local materials and construction techniques, the design aesthetic complements the Himalayan landscape.

In June 2007, AWF designed and constructed an incinerator at the Sherlo Monastery to help the 70 residing monks to dispose their waste. Incineration is considered one of the most effective solutions to the waste problem in this region since it destroys or reduces the size of the material; it can be buried in waste pits, minimising the potential harm to humans or animals. AWF member Dan Demant, collaborated with project leader, Beau Beza, and a Junbesi-based builder to research and develop an incinerator entirely sourced from local materials and construction techniques, yet capable of creating and withstanding high temperatures. Since contemporary western solutions rely on a series of incinerator events and reactions to burn waste at required temperatures of 800°C, this proved a significant challenge. The waste management work is complemented by the development of waste reduction and environmental education programmes such as at the Junbesi Primary School.

Status

Currently, Beau Beza, AWF project leader, has secured funding for phase 1 of 2008 works which extends environmental care and knowledge to other villages along the Mt. Everest Trek. These new works have commenced in the village of Tragdobuk, in conjunction with support from the Junbesi based Himalayan Yeti Club, and are planned to extend down to the village of Jiri.