Turning Waste to Energy: City Region Food, Environment and Sanitation Nexus

Kathmandu University (KU) and Agriculture Forestry University (AFU) have been jointly preparing to conduct the third Habitat Innovation Conclave 2024 on September 16-17, 2024, at AFU’s Rampur campus in Chitwan. The conclave aims to address the integration of waste management with energy production, food security, and environmental protection. Thus, the theme of the event will be titled “Turning Waste to Energy: City Region Food, Environment, and Sanitation Nexus.”

The organisers state that the conclave of this year is a significant event in uniting experts, academicians, and practitioners in the field of food, environment and sanitation. It serves as a dynamic hub for collaboration and idea exchange for those working in the field of city region food, environment and sanitation. The conclave aims to tackle pressing issues like waste management, environmental sustainability, agriculture, sanitation by involving academicians, policymakers, investors, government bodies, NGOs, and INGO in Nepal. Moreover, this event will be the platform for forging partnerships, exchanging best practices, and sparking innovative projects for wellbeing. Importantly, it offers an indispensable opportunity for the students of Sanitation at Kathmandu University, Tribhuvan University, and Pokhara University under the GSGS program and students pursuing degrees in the agriculture field at Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU).

The conclave project to connect with the organizations and sectors working in sanitation including Agriculture and Environment, City Region Food Systems, Supply Chain Management of Solid Waste, and the WEFE Nexus. This direct engagement of the students will offer them the educational experience and path for them to gain practical insights, potential career pathways, and networking opportunities. Furthermore, the conclave will serve as the platform for the GSGS-Nepal and AFU project, showcasing its objectives, initiatives, and contributions to the broader community.

The conclave will feature panel discussions on waste management, sanitation technologies, and energy sustainability. Also, it will include technical sessions for research presentations, a special session on local government roles, and graduate student presentations.

Additional highlights include a job fair, networking opportunities, and exhibition stalls showcasing innovative technologies and projects.

The conclave also aims to tackle key challenges and promote collaboration among students, professionals, and policymakers.

Under the framework of the project “Transfer of the new MSc. Program in Sanitation in South Asia and Sub-Sharan Africa – Global Sanitation Graduate School (GSGS)”, Kathmandu University (KU) is delivering IHE-Delft based sanitation programs as M.S. /M.E. in Sanitation Technology in Nepal. The Global Sanitation Graduate School was primarily launched at IHE Delft with participation from various institutions globally. In Nepal, KU (as the 1st tier partner with IHE Delft) is responsible for transferring the program to two academic institutions (as 2nd tier partners) i.e., Tribhuvan University (TU) and Pokhara University (PU). The Global Sanitation Graduate School (GSGS) at the School of Engineering, Kathmandu University has also delivered a Professional Learning Course in Sanitation (Sanitation Technology and Sanitation Management & Business) and Faecel Sludge Management i.e., FSM online course in collaboration with IHE-Delft and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. To date, Global Sanitation Graduate School has successfully enrolled 50 students in M.S. /M.E. in Sanitation technology at Kathmandu University, Tribhuvan University, and Pokhara University with substantial female engagement. The Graduate Professional Diploma Program of the GSGS project enrolled 120 students and also the GSGS at KU runs the Faecel Sludge Management –FSM online course with an engagement of 97 students.

Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU) is Nepal’s first state-owned technical university, founded under the Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU) Bill passed by Parliament in 2010. It was established in Rampur, Chitwan, through the merger of the constituent campuses of Tribhuvan University’s Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS) and the Forestry Campus (Institute of Forestry-IOF) in Hetauda, along with the Dean’s Office of IAAS Rampur. The university’s mission is to develop highly skilled professionals to advance education, research, and development in agriculture, livestock, veterinary science, fisheries, forestry, and related fields. Additionally, it strives to contribute to the comprehensive development of agriculture, livestock, and forestry to improve the socio-economic conditions of rural communities through quality education, research, and outreach. 

Thematic areas of discussion will include Sanitation Technology Innovations, Energy Recovery from Waste, Sustainable Sanitation Systems, Public-Private Partnerships in Sanitation, Impact of Sanitation on Public Health, Future Trends in Waste-to-Energy and Sanitation Technologies

Ecosystem Approaches to Sanitation and Waste Management, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Sanitation, Social and Behavioural Dimensions of Sanitation and Waste Management, Financing and Economic Models for Sanitation Innovation, Policy and Governance for Sanitation and Waste Management, Green economy and green cities, Agriculture and Environment, City Region Food System, Supply Chain Management of Solid Waste, Water, Energy, Food, and Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus, Bio recycling of waste, Farm disposal to recycling, Compost /Organic manure from waste, Agriculture farm waste management, Rooftop farming, Value Chain analysis, Climate change and city agriculture Ecology and environmental valuation and some other.

Remarkably, climate change is our planet’s greatest existential threat. If we don’t limit greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, the consequences of rising global temperatures include massive crop and fishery collapse, the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of species, and entire communities becoming uninhabitable. While these outcomes may still be avoidable, climate change is already causing suffering and death. From raging wildfires and supercharged storms, its compounding effects can be felt today, outside our own windows.

Understanding these impacts can help us prepare for what’s here, what’s avoidable, and what’s yet to come, and to better prepare and protect all communities. Even though everyone is or will be affected by climate change, those living in the world’s poorest countries – which have contributed to the problem – are the most climate-vulnerable. They have the fewest financial resources to respond to crises or adapt, and they’re closely dependent on a healthy, thriving natural world for food and income.

Climate change is not just change in climate, it has affected every natural substance on the Earth. It is killing natural ecosystems even destroying habitats and ecosystems. Time to mitigate the damage is running out. Scientists warn that the effects of global warming are far worse than generally acknowledged, and unless we take immediate, drastic and decisive action, our survival and that of animals and ecosystems is severely imperilled. The importance of this climate change cannot be overstated.

In this context, the conclave which is the third edition of the series is important to churn out experience, knowledge and information of the actions for current situation and for the future.

As Nepal has been suffered of various natural calamities due to climate change effects, the conclave is expected to deliberate hopes and thoughts for resilience and check the probable loss and damage.

(By Purna N. Ranjitkar)