In a bid to transform the country’s urban infrastructure, the Nepal government has announced plans to build a smart city in each of the seven provincial capitals, starting with four cities in the Kathmandu Valley. As such, the smart cities market in Nepal is expected to be valued at USD 20 billion by 2033. Nepal, and Kathmandu in particular, is ranked amongst the most vulnerable regions for earthquakes in the world. Hence, disaster-resilience becomes a crucial component when planning and building Nepali smart cities. Since Nepali smart cities are still in the inception stage, we are afforded an unprecedented opportunity to build strong, safe and resilient communities that will stand the test of time.
High-tech, internet-enabled solutions capable of alerting citizens as soon as tremors are detected are effective tools that need to be incorporated into smart cities.
Nepal became the fourth country to install EWS, along with Mexico, Japan and China, only a few months after the 2015 earthquake. The National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) installed earthquake early warning sensors at 10 locations with technical support from China’s Institute of Care-Life.
This EWS is a real-time system that provides warnings, seconds after the primary seismic wave resulting from an earthquake is detected by the sensors. This system is capable of providing alerts as early as 22 seconds before an earthquake hits. This time difference can mean the difference between life and death.
There are ample opportunities for technology vendors who develop EWS during the planning and development phase of smart cities. There is also space for government agencies, research institutions, INGO/NGOs and technology vendors to work together.
The backbone of any comprehensive smart city disaster resilience preparedness plan depends heavily on the use of ICT infrastructure, including mobile networks, to efficiently receive, process, analyze and re-distribute data, and mobilize various city services.
Mobile telecom operators, in particular, play a vital role throughout the process of city crisis planning, coordination and recovery efforts. Mobile networks form crucial communication channels between different stakeholders and are responsible for relief operations during and after disasters. They are also responsible for dispatching vital information about the impact of disasters and location of emergency shelters.
An Israeli firm developed a solution that uses a geo-targeted system, allowing officials to push mass alerts simultaneously to computers, mobile phones, radios, and televisions. This technology is capable of avoiding congested telecommunication networks in post-disaster situations.
There are abundant growth opportunities for technology vendors and telecom operators along with the operational involvement of governmental agencies in this space. There are opportunities for involvement of mobile operators in the development of broadcast service systems.
Smart cities promise economic vibrancy and livability, which cannot be guaranteed without ensuring resilience of the built environment. The urban environment needs to have disaster resilience built into it in every step, including design, construction and operation.
All infrastructure in a smart city must be built according to stringent building codes and standards. Advanced outage management systems and smart meters contribute significantly to crisis management and recovery. Smart digital mapping tools equipped with sensing technologies provide crucial information about the current state and behaviors of urban infrastructure systems. For example, these tools allow access to a city’s transportation system, providing information about the most viable evacuation routes.
This sector provides strong growth prospects for technology providers, infrastructure developers and government agencies as a whole.
Read more: Nepal on the Cusp of Digital Transformation