FOREWARN Nepal convenes its first Disaster Hackathon
Blog by Pranav Dahal on the first ever Disaster Hackathon organised by FOREWARN Nepal.
Published:
Time to read: 2 minutes
Disaster Hackathon is an annual competition organised by FOREWARN where participants create pioneering solutions for challenges in Anticipatory Actions, Humanitarian Response, and Disaster Risk Reduction.
In 2024, FOREWARN Nepal hosted its inaugural event, bringing together 136 teams of young professionals, enthusiasts, and students. These teams submitted their ideas to address real challenges that communities around them face. Top seven teams were chosen after careful evaluation based on the impact and feasibility of their ideas.
The top seven teams received mentorship and guidance from experts working in anticipatory action (AA) and disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) through several workshops. These workshops helped participants refine their solutions, develop compelling pitches, and sharpen their technical expertise. A DRRM video competition ran alongside, attracting over 65,000 views on social media, with the top three videos showcased during the final event.
The Hackathon finale was an exciting day, with Team Garud taking home the first prize. Top three teams also received seed funds to scale their prototypes.
Winners of the hackathon, team Garud, receiving certificate from judges
FOREWARN Nepal Hackathon
Meet the winners
Team GARUD built a rescue drone equipped with thermal cameras, night vision, and real-time location sharing
Objective: Support search and rescue operations in remote and challenging environments
Team Quantangle developed an AI-powered website that visualises fire risks based on past record and real time weather updates
Objective: Identify and prevent forest fires with AI tools
Team Khai Khola introduced a flood simulation system using Augmented Reality technology that predicts flood risks and safe zones
Objective: Strengthen community preparedness against recurrent floods
Despite the floodings in late September, the hackathon was able to drive young minds towards building solutions and bringing innovation towards humanitarian challenges. FOREWARN Nepal will continue to connect participants with community experts and organisations to bring their visions to life.
