What's New

RAP3 MHLR induction training to newly appointed interns
23 November 2020

Nine newly appointed engineering interns completed a seven-day induction training course organised by RAP3 MHLR central team. The induction training was conducted online to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The seven-day training covered the areas of planning, design, procurement, implementation, safeguarding, COVID-19 protection measures and remobilization. All nine of interns successfully passed their training assessment based on these themes, with three interns scoring distinctions. The interns will be assigned districts, based on their preferences and assessment scores, where they will work for the next six months. Our field staff make all arrangements to reduce the risk and exposure to COVID-19 for our newly recruited interns before they arrive in their respective districts.

RAP3 has been employing young civil engineers as engineering interns since 2014.

First snowfall of the season in Mugu and Humla
23 November 2020

Some areas around Mugu and Humla have experienced the first snowfall of this year’s winter season. This makes road construction work on the MHLR corridor much harder and significantly colder for our road building groups. RAP3 MHLR places great importance on workplace safety and all our staff and workers follow MHLR safety and security procedures and are aware of the dangers of heavy snow and slippery roads. Our field teams continually review the weather situation to ensure they only continue working if it is safe for everyone to be on the construction site.

RAP3 MHLR celebrated the festival of lights 2020 with all the project staff
23 November 2020

“Despite the hardships created by COVID-19 pandemic, celebrating virtual Tihar special event this year was our opportunity to enjoy with the team, keeping all the work and tension aside”.

—Milipa Thapa, Socio-economic officer

Since we are still in the midst of the pandemic, RAP3 MHLR could not organize a happy hour to lighten the mood of our staff on the occasion of this year’s Tihar festival. But, this pandemic has made everyone explore their hidden potential. Some of our staff wrote Tihar festival songs about the project and hosted virtual Tihar special events, including beautiful traditional and modern Tihar festival songs and music. The virtual Tihar celebration with all the project staff was a truly fascinating and fun event to keep the spirits of our staff high.

We hope you all have had a great and safe Tihar celebration 2020!

Have a safe Dashain festival 2020
22 October 2020

On this auspicious occasion, the entire RAP3 MHLR team would like to wish a prosperous and Safe Dashain to you all. May you all celebrate this Dashain holiday virtually or with members of your own household to reduce your risk of being exposed to COVID-19 during the celebration.

Have a memorable Dashain Festival 2020!

Educational materials support to schools in Mugu and Humla
08 October 2020

“This educational material will definitely help in the education of the children and will also help the parents to stay away from any financial burden”.

— Mrs. Mayadevi Shahi, Headmaster of Dudedaha Primary School, Humla

 

Most governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nepal officially closed all educational institutions on 19th March to stop the spread of COVID-19. Since then, various educational institutions in Nepal have made it easier for students to learn by alternative means, such as online classes. However, internet connectivity in Nepal is a severe bottleneck and remote districts such as Mugu and Humla need a lot of development to enhance the learning of children. With the aim of supporting children’s education in Mugu and Humla, RAP3 MHLR supported Bishow Siksha Samagri in order to facilitate the distribution of education materials to various schools along the RAP3 MHLR corridor. Education materials from Grade I to Grade III were distributed in 6 schools in Mugu and 3 schools in Humla districts.  We believe this support will help provide these children with on-going education in Mugu and Humla where there is limited availability of learning opportunities and educational materials during the current lockdown.

Social distancing but not social isolation
08 October 2020

 

 “I have attended only one inclusivity event but I found that everyone in the office is excited about such events. I think it gives everyone a break from their routine jobs and give some time to work on their more creative side as well. I also like that it brings all level of staff together, be it auxiliary staff or department heads, everyone worked together”.

—RAP3 MHLR, Senior Staff 

As part of promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, RAP3 MHLR has been organising a wide range of recreational and informative activities since 2019. The survey report prepared at the end of the year showed that the inclusion programme was very successful and that such events should be continued. But, 2020 is presenting new and unique challenges for all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and this also halted our inclusivity events for the first few months. However, we have realised that to help break the mental stress that the COVID-19 might have caused many of us, we need to set up a designated fun space on our ‘new normal’ schedule so that we can recharge our batteries. Therefore, we have divided all the project staff into diverse groups and each group now comes up with their creative and innovative fun activities. Such virtual activities invigorate our minds during this difficult time of the pandemic as well as help to build strong bonds, especially among the team members who do not work together and are based in different project locations. Every two weeks on a Friday, when all the staff come to watch the exciting and surprising event at 15:00, the platform now feels like a virtual coffee room where we enjoy some time together with chit-chat and laughter.

RAP3 MHLR handed over wooden logs and firewood to Humla DFO
08 October 2020

Tree logs felled for the construction of the Mugu Humla Link road within the Khara community forest in Humla were stacked in one of the places designated by the Humla Divisional Forest Office. The project field team handed over these tree logs and firewood to Khara Forest Users Committee on 29th September 2020 in the presence of Humla Divisional Forest Officer and ward chairperson of Chankheli Rural Municipality.  In total, there were 2,928.44 Cu ft. of Timber and 2,116 Cu ft. of Firewood from 214 trees.  All the logs, firewood and its management are now the responsibility of the community forest and should be used only with the approval of the Divisional Forest Office (DFO), Humla.

The Humla DFO has also provided the letter of appreciation to RAP3 MHLR for successfully executing all the tasks and responsibilities on time. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all the concerned teams and authorities for their assistance and support to deliver our work effectively even during this difficult time of COVID-19 pandemic.

Cleanliness and waste management campaign in Nafa, Mugu
19 August 2020

With the increase in the number of shops in the Chhayanath Rara Municipality of Mugu district, garbage has increased in the market area and a sanitation programme has been required because of a lack of proper cowsheds and toilets. RAP3 MHLR and PHASE Nepal coordinated with the ward chairperson and formed a sanitation and waste management committee on 8th January 2020 to increase sanitation awareness among locals in the Municipality. Along with the formation of the committee, it was decided to keep wooden dustbins in places, clean the market every Saturday and keep the toilets and cowsheds clean in every house.

Project field office and PHASE Nepal again facilitated a meeting with locals and the sanitation management committee on 8th August 2020. At the meeting, it was decided that every house and shop should manage its garbage properly and the public dustbin was also cleaned on the same day. At present, the committee members and the locals of Chhayanath Rara Municipality, Nafa is actively involved in the sanitation programme to keep their area clean and hygienic.

Code of conduct training to our support staff and drivers
19 August 2020

RAP3 MHLR ensures that all project staff and those engaged through our partner and implementing organisations understand and comply with the RAP3 MHLR code of conduct. Code of conduct training is mandatory for all of our staff. Since it was not possible for most of our auxiliary staff and drivers to complete the training online, they were given this training in-person at RAP3 MHLR office. To ensure social distancing norms, the training was spread across three batches to keep the number of participants below 10. The training took place between 31st July and 6th August 2020. At the end of the training, the staff were also quizzed on the course to ensure they understood the contents. The 19 auxiliary staff involved in the training, shared positive reviews of the training and mentioned that it was very effective. They also said that it would help them to be more aware about what to do, what not to do and understood about complying with this code of conduct while performing their duties.

Wilderness First Aid Training by Himalayan Medics
19 August 2020

“Whether someone travels to unfrequented places or remains within easy medical access, first aid skills can always come handy. This training was very well designed and captured essentials for managing medical emergencies. The instructors explained and demonstrated every process meticulously and I learnt with the same vigour. Many thanks to the organising and the delivering teams.”

— Ayasta Pokharel, Safeguards and Compliance Engineer

RAP3 MHLR has conducted a nationally recognised wilderness first aid training to prepare participants to respond to emergencies in remote areas like Mugu-Humla where access to medical care and communication is unreliable. The first aid training was given by professional trainers from Himalayan Medics. Due to COVID-19, the training was conducted online and the first batch training was attended by 15 project staff including auxiliary staff. They all found the training useful. RAP3 MHLR is now rolling out the training to other staff members in various batches. 

Sanitising RAP3 MHLR office during Covid-19
21 July 2020

As the Covid-19 pandemic has grown rapidly inside the Kathmandu Valley, the project has paid more attention to the cleanliness of the office.

Bio-engineering works on MHLR
16 July 2020

“The road from Ruga to Darke Khola where the soil is overflowing, grass has been planted and for a deeper soil stabilisation, brush layering has been carried out using branches of local plant species called ‘Bains’ plant in Nepali. Bio-engineering has been extremely good thanks to RAP3, and make the roads green”.

 –Chankha Baduwal, Bama Gaira LRUC, Chairperson

 

Bio-engineering work has been carried out in an area of 7316.40 square metres where full widening of the Mugu Humla Link Road section has been completed. Bio-engineering works are required for the protection and stabilization of slopes. The plants provide the functions of catching debris, armouring the surface, reinforcing the soil, anchoring the surface layer, supporting the slope, and supporting successful drainage. Similarly, they also enhance the aesthetics of green roads. Before commencing Bio-engineering work on the Rugha section, virtual training was given to field staff, attended by more than 30 local participants. Bio-engineering techniques like brush layering using branches of local plant species, covering 2929.80 running metres have been adopted. Also, in order to stabilize fresh soil cut-and-fill slopes, salimo grass was planted. The purpose of bio engineering work is to improve slope stability and prevent the erosion of cut and fill slopes along the MHLR alignment.

Wage payment to SMG in Dailekh
15 July 2020

“Equal pay for equal work system for both men and women of the RAP3 MHLR project has encouraged us to adopt the system in the Palika and helped in establishing a society of equality in the village. Hence, we all are very proud of the project".

-Mr. Bhakta Bahadur Malla, Chief Administrative Officer, Mahabu RM Dailekh

With the global pandemic Covid-19 virus now in Nepal, the virus has spread to districts of Karnali province. The growing number of Nepalis entering the country from the Indian border has increased the risk of Covid-19 infection among many of those who were migrant labourers in India. Due to the pandemic and the resulting lock down, the project has been unable to distribute wage payments to our Special Maintenance Group (SMGs) in Dailekh.

With the support from government officials, our team in Surkhet got a travel permit recommendation from the District Administrative Office (DAO) Dailekh, but as the number of infected people increased, Dailekh district was sealed off and the project team was not allowed to travel for their own safety. Even in such an unusual situation, the Dailekh Ward Chairperson committed to support and manage the SMG wage distribution in the district on behalf of the RAP3 MHLR team.

Together with support from other officials of Mahabu Rural Municipality and following the norms and procedures of the project, SMG wage distribution was successfully completed on 22nd June 2020.

Due to the possibility of spreading the virus, only one group of SMGs was called in per day and wages were distributed to 5 groups on different days between 18th June and 22nd June 2020. We are grateful for the assistance government officials have provided in this time of lockdown and we look forward to their continued support in the coming days as well.

 

Webinar on “Gender Mainstreaming in Shaping the World in the Post COVID Situation”
01 July 2020

Nepal Engineering Association has celebrated this year’s International Women in Engineering Day through webinar on “gender mainstreaming in shaping the world in the post COVID situation”. The theme for INWED 2020 is ‘Shape the World’ and RAP3 MHLR Team Leader, Er. Kirsteen Merrilees was invited to be the keynote speaker at the webinar.  Kirsteen Merrilees in her presentation discussed about why post COVID situation is all about practicing good engineering and she has also made it clear that in the current situation, both men and women’s participation in the engineering field is equally important. For more information on her presentation and conversations with panelists about gender mainstreaming in shaping the world, you can listen through this NEA Facebook link.

https://www.facebook.com/neanepal

Wage payment to SMG/LRUCs in Karnali Province
01 July 2020

The lockdown has affected people's lives in Karnali province. The Karnali residents who have gone to work in India continue to return home, and at the same time, corona virus infections are on the rise. This has shaken the lives of daily wage earners even harder as the current situation has severely restricted economic activity and forced laborers to stay home. Even in such a turbulent time, our project field staff have safely distributed wages to Specific Maintenance Groups (SMGs) in Salyan, Surkhet, Rukum west and similarly to Road Building Groups (RBGs) in Mugu and Humla districts by taking appropriate measures to protect against COVID-19, including wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing.

There were 18 members in the group who travelled to the project office in Chaurjahari, Rukum West to receive their wages. Upon consultation with Chaurjahari Municipality, the arrangement of wages distribution was made with the advice that this group should travel in smaller groups i.e. 4-5 members at a time and maintain social distance while they travelled and similar precautions were taken in other districts as well. We are grateful to the local governments of all the districts for their support in distributing the wage to our laborers.  A much needed financial relief for families who are very dependent on this income.

Pages