On the occasion of the 31st NGS Day, held on 4th Jestha 2082 B.S. at The Plaza, Pulchowk, students of the 2077 batch of Khwopa College of Engineering were awarded the Best Undergraduate Geotechnical Project Award for their innovative project in the field of geotechnical engineering. National and international experts, including engineers, geoscientists, researchers, policymakers, and officials from the government sector and high-level institutions, participated in the event. The winning project was carried out by a dedicated team of students: Aashika Koju, Balkrishna Jha, Bijesh Malakar, Gopi Krishna Parajuli, and Ijan Shrestha.

The program was graced by Er. Keshab Kumar Sharma, Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, as the Chief Guest, and Prof. Dr. Sushil Bahadur Bajracharya, Dean of the Institute of Engineering, as the Special Guest.

With the theme “Geohazards and Geotechnics: Ten Years of Learnings and Rebuilding from the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake,” the symposium served as a platform to reflect on a decade of Nepal’s post-earthquake reconstruction efforts. It emphasized the critical importance of preparedness, resilience, and innovation in geotechnical engineering to address future geohazards more effectively.

Several prestigious awards in the field of geotechnical engineering were presented during the program, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Promising Young Researcher Award, the Geotechnical Contribution Award, the Engineering Entrepreneur Award, the National Geotechnical Pride Award, the Excellent Graduate Thesis Award, the Best Undergraduate Geotechnical Project Award, and the Outstanding Geotechnical Project Award.

The awarded project, titled “Design, Optimization and Comparison of Hydraulic Tunnels in Siwaliks, Lesser Himalayas and Higher Himalayas of Nepal: A Comparative Study of Stresses, Support Systems and Deformation Behavior,” focused on the comparative design and performance analysis of hydraulic tunnels in three major geological regions of Nepal, supervised by prominent faculty members from Civil Engineering Department of Khwopa College of Engineering Er. Aanand Kumar Mishra and Mr. Nirmal Kafle. The study examined tunnel behavior under varying geotechnical conditions, evaluated support system requirements, and optimized tunnel alignment to support efficient and sustainable hydropower development.