A new grant of £96k has been awarded by British Academy/Royal Academy of Engineering/Royal Society for interdisciplinary research “Exploring the feasibility of regenerating Medieval Licchavi Period irrigation infrastructure in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal”
This new grant will be led by Professor Robin Coningham (Archaeology) with Professor David Toll (IHRR Co-Director) and Dr Mohamed Seaid (Engineering). The focus will be on the potential regeneration of historic irrigation systems for sustainable water supplies that can be managed by local, resilient communities in Nepal. Access to clean and safe water supplies for domestic and agricultural use is a potential source of conflict and insecurity within Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, with unchecked development leading to demand outstripping supply, as well as damaging and straining current water capacity. However, there is potential that lessons learned from past historic infrastructure can provide alternative and sustainable solutions to this chronic situation. This project will bring together Archaeologists and Engineers to investigate the Licchavi Period (5th-8th centuries CE) irrigation systems, recorded within inscriptions and located archaeologically, and study their engineering performance. This interdisciplinary collaboration between Archaeologists and Engineers to support development In the Global South fits closely with IHRR’s aims.
“Exploring the feasibility of regenerating Medieval Licchavi Period irrigation infrastructure in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal”, The British Academy APEX Awards 2023, £96k, (1 Sep 2023 - 31 Oct 2024)
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