Generic and Engineering Issues Surrounding Kusma, Parbat District - Essay Example

Essay Problem Student’s Name Course Title Instructor’s Name Date of Submission Overview of Selected Area Parbat District is one of the hilliest areas found in Nepal. In this country, and across many regions of the world, it is known to be part of Dhaulagiri Zone. It makes up one of the twenty seven districts of Nepal which is a landlocked country situated in South Asia. The district headquarters of Parbat is Kusma, sometimes referred to as Kushma by the natives. Kusma covers a land size of approximately 494 km2 and has a net population of 157, 826 (Thapa & Thapa, 2010, p. 73). This is according to the most recent population statistics carried out in Nepal. Parbat is considered the fourth smallest District among all the districts located in Nepal. The main feature that is used to identify this region and characterize it is the Gupteshowr Cave that was toured by thousands of Pilgrims during the Shivarati. In this essay, all the generic and engineering issues surrounding this region of Nepal are taken into consideration. Generic Factors for Kusma, Parbat District In relation to the project under consideration, there are certain constraining factors that have to be taken into account in determining the feasibility of embarking on it at the selected area. In this case, the physical factors such as climatic variations within the selected locality have to be analysed critically. In addition to this, there have to be social amenities in the region for the contractors to find it easy carrying out the project in Kushma. Demographic factors, and in specific the population distribution of Kushma have to be taken into account too in determining the credibility of implementation of the project. Kusma is a densely populated region and this makes it challenging to locate a strategic place in the area for setting up the project. There are also constraining cost factors that may not be directly related to the area. Given the poor economic conditions of Nepal, as a whole, the required material for setting up the project may be challenging. This comes as a result of the high price levels of commodities in this headquarter of Parbat District. In addition to these, there will be need to transport equipment and other material from the areas of acquisition to the construction site, which will require that adequate fuel and transport network be available in the region. From the inflationary economic shifts that have been experienced in Nepal in the past, it may be quite challenging to acquire sensitive items such as fuel to facilitate in the developments to be carried out in the selected area. Surveying Factors for Kushma, Parbat There are survey factors that have also to be taken into account before embarking on the project. Taking a critical consideration of Kushma, the main survey factors in this case can include issues such as transport facilities and accessibility of the regions has to be taken into account. Any region within the outskirts of Kushma is suitable for setting up the project. This is due to the availability of land space for the project. In addition to availability of adequate land for starting and completing the project, there is a proper transportation route. For example, the availability of the suspension bridge that was constructed over Modikhola River will enable easy transport between Kushma Bazaar and Gyandi of Parbat. This will facilitate availability of the items of construction due to their ready availability in the Gyandi region (Thapa & Thapa, 2010, p. 44). The population of the region around the outskirts of the region is also sparse. Consequently, the effects of the construction activities such as noise or any instance of pollution will not be extremely felt on this region. The sparse population is also necessary to create adequate land space for setting up the structure. Though there are limiting factors such as insecurity and poverty around the region selected, the impacts are hardly severe in the case of the project that will be carried out in this case. These factors are not directly relevant to the project that is to be carried out in the region. This district headquarter of Parbat is also associated with little industrial processes. Most of the activities that take place around the area are recreation related. Civil and Structural Engineering Factors in Kushma, Parbat There are various civil construction factors that will directly impact on the possibility of carrying out the projects in this area. One of the main factors is land instability. The recent landslides that took place in some of the parts of Parbat District may be a signal to the remaining sections the District. Heavy rains have been experienced in these hilly regions of Nepal due to their altitude. It is possible to collect rain water to economize on the costs of undertaking the project in this region. Though Parbat is a hilly area found in Nepal, the outskirts of the city selected are fairly levelled. This is necessary to limit the extent of levelling that will be required before starting on the project. The soils that are around these regions are also characterized by fast and efficient drainage. The rate at which these soils are drained makes it easy to solve the problem of heavy precipitation that is experienced in the area. As a result of the altitude, Parbat region as a whole has low temperatures with the highest recorded at 17 degrees Celsius. The temperature is adequate to support all the engineering operations that will be required in the area selected. From a critical analysis, the major threat in line with civil engineering and construction threats that face the start of the project are the frequent landslides that take place in Parbat District. There will be need to carry out proper seismic survey in the specific area selected for carrying out the project in order to select a location that is least under the threat of earth tremors or landslides. In addition, the structure of the soils and fault-lines will also have to be investigated to ensure there are no direct threats associated with land instability. Electrical Engineering Factors at Kushma, Parbat The people of Nepal, and specifically in the hilly regions of Parbat, make use of the heavy rainfall in the generation of electric power both for industrial and domestic uses. This means it is possible to generate power for use in running the machinery and equipment that will be used in carrying out the project. Some of the most common hydro-power plants that are located in the surrounding areas are Modi Khola power plant and the Lower Modi Khola hydro-power plants. This is a clear indication that the precipitation around this region is enough to turn power turbine and in return generate power for the construction processes. In addition to the hydro-electric power, the other source that could be used to generate electric power is wind (Shaw, Pulhin & Pereira, 2010, p. 185). There are areas around Parbat region where windmill energy is used. The windmills are used as compliments for the power generated from water resources. The alternation of use is mainly in cases of climate changes in the area. There are cases where cold seasons are witnessed in Kushma region and this makes it challenging to rely on water-generated electricity. As a result, the wind turbines are used to generate additional energy for use, especially in the households. The major challenge that comes along with the use of wind energy is that there are hardly enough wind strengths to turn the plates on the turbines. Storms around this region are rare and this makes it problematic to generate sufficient power from the windmills. The other critical challenge that has been witnessed with the establishment of power windmills is unstable land. The frequent slides that are experienced in these regions at some point have brought down some of the power turbines that are used to generate additional power. High maintenance costs have to be incurred in setting up and regulating the operation of these devices. The less stormy climate around Parbat region is very conducive for setting up electrical device and also carrying out electrical wiring in the structure to be set up. Since the area is located on cools slopes of the hilly regions, most of the strong winds are trapped by the mountains and hills in the region. There is very little impact of these storms on the area that has been selected for the project. It is not easy to set up a direct line of site in this region of Nepal. As a result of the rugged landscape, the influences of storms in the area are limited. Kushma region is strategically located in a way that nearly all the weather vagaries are brought into control. Therefore, in line with electrical engineering factors, there are very few challenges, if any that are likely to be realized in setting up the structure in this area. Sufficient renewable energy resources such as water and wind can be put into economical use to enable efficient supply of clean energy in the region. This will also minimize the levels of pollution that may come out of the project. Mechanical Engineering Factors for Kushma, Parbat The project will require substantial mechanical equipment to be used in regulation of the input factors of construction such as water. As a result of the unstable nature of the land in Kushma and Parbat in general, the equipment used should have low vibration energy that may weaken the ground upon which the structure will be constructed. In addition, there is very high precipitation in this area. This leads to frequent surface run-off that may interfere with the construction activities that will be undertaken in the region. Proper water channels will have to be developed to avoid flooding of the site and access paths. Though water may be of sufficient use to the site, the region selected will have to be proper drained of the excess water that may limit efficient movements in the region of construction. These measures will have to be taken into account, putting into consideration the fact that electrical pumps use the water to generate power for the project. Other mechanical engineering issues will include purification of the water for sediments that are likely to clog the filters and moving turbines. The loose nature of soils in Parbat region will call for effective management of the silts and other physical impurities that may come along with the moving water. Water used for the construction processes will have to be purified both physically and chemically before the contractors get into contact with it. There will be need to locate filters at strategic points to eliminate material pollutants from the water. In addition, given that the project location is on the city outskirts, the polluted water from the central business district and other surrounding households will have to be gotten rid of to ensure health and safety of the people involved in the construction process. The machines and turning equipment that will be installed in the selected region will have to be provided with additional support to prevent collapse. The unstable nature of the land requires that all the equipment used in the construction be provided with substantial physical support to provide a higher centre of gravity. The area of support has to be widened to prevent collapse in the course of the construction process. This will help in limiting the distraction and stop-overs at the time of construction. Summary From the foregoing, it is notable that there are enabling factors that will enable carrying out of the project at Kushma city in Parbat region of Nepal. Ranging from survey, electrical engineering, generic, mechanical engineering and construction engineering factors that are discussed in the previous region, it is worth carrying out the project in the selected region. However, measures must be taken to control the major challenges that are likely to be realized in the region such as landslides at the time of construction. In addition, precipitation control measures also have to be taken into consideration to prevent inconveniences that may be created by surface run-off at the time of construction. Bibliography Top of Form Top of Form Shaw, R., Pulhin, J. M., & Pereira, J. J., 2010, ‘Climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction: an Asian perspective’. Bingley, UK, Emerald. Thapa, N. B., & Thapa, D. P., 2010,  ‘Geography of Nepal: physical, economic, cultural & regional’. Bombay, Orient Longmans. The Himalayan Times, 2014, ‘4 Missing in Parbat Landslide’ The Himalayan Times, viewed 06 September 2014, Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More