Ireland’s inaugural WASH Hackathon in Dublin City University will unite leading water engineers and experts from water resources academic community to tackle global WASH challenges.

GOAL’s two-day Hackathon will bring together experts and innovators from the global water engineering and water resources communities to develop solutions that can be deployed in vulnerable communities in developing nations where GOAL works and where access to and delivery of safe WASH programmes is critical.

Taking place at DCU over two days, this Thurs 26^th and Fri 27^th Sept, the Hackathon will feature a strong lineup of water engineering and water industry companies and individuals including Uisce Éireann, RPS Group, Outform Consulting, Ryan Hanley, AECOM, Veolia and Glanua, alongside international water resources experts from Uganda.

Teams will spend 24 hours working on real-world problem statements derived from some of GOAL’s identified WASH challenges and devising solutions to these problems, including:

• Contaminated water sources (boreholes) in Zimbabwe and delivery of alternative treatments
• Introduction of cost-effective methods to reduce iron concentrations in groundwater (boreholes) in Sierra Leone
• Addressing over-reliance on contaminated rivers, streams, or shallow wells in Honduras
• Safe disposal of lithium batteries at the end of their life cycle in Syria
• Counteracting cholera outbreaks from contaminated water supplies in Haiti

Alan Reade, Global WASH Advisor at GOAL Global, commented ahead of the Hackathon,

“The global water crisis is overwhelming. With nearly half of the world lacking access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, the need for innovative, scalable solutions has never been more urgent. This Hackathon could be a key step toward developing actionable solutions that can be implemented in the field by GOAL.”

The winning team will be selected by a prestigious panel of judges from GOAL, DCU Water Institute and the water industry. Their solutions will be further developed, funded, and implemented through GOAL’s global WASH programmes, improving water, sanitation and hygiene access in the communities that need it most.

In advance of the Hackathon, Prof. Fiona Regan, Full Professor of Chemistry and Director of DCU Water Institute, said,

“We are delighted to host the inaugural Water-Share Ireland Hackathon at DCU and look forward to two days of dynamic collaboration, where brilliant minds from Ireland’s water engineering and water resources academic sectors will come together to tackle one of the world’s most pressing issues. The commitment of these participants, who are generously giving their time and expertise, speaks to the importance of creative and practical solutions. We hope this event will pave the way for more cross-sector collaborations. We are proud to support GOAL in their mission to implement these solutions on the ground, making a real difference in communities that need them most.”

Alan Curran, Water-Share Ireland Chairman and Senior Director at RPS, said,

“This Hackathon presents an incredible opportunity for experts from diverse sectors to collaborate on solving one of the most pressing challenges of our time. This type of collaboration is what Water-Share Ireland is all about. We’re excited to see what innovative solutions emerge from the problem statements at this unique and progressive event.”

ENDS

Event Details:

• Dates: Thursday, 26th September – Friday, 27th September
• Location: Dublin City University
• Participants: Uisce Éireann, RPS Group, Outform Consulting, DCU, Ryan Hanley, AECOM, Glanua, and international water resources experts from Uganda, including Ms Rosemary Nalwanga, Dr Semyalo Ronald, and Mr Kaziro Mark.

Water-Share Ireland is a GOAL programme supported by members of the Irish water resources sector, who contribute funding, technical resources, and expertise to deliver sustainable WASH programmes to vulnerable communities in Sierra Leone, Eastern Uganda, and Northwest Syria. Since everyone needs clean, safe water for drinking, cooking, and hygiene, WASH programmes are essential for community well-being globally.

Water-Share Ireland partners include;

GOAL, founded in 1977, with 3,500 staff, delivers humanitarian aid and development programmes to 10+ million people every year, in 14 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Ukraine.

For further information and/or to organise an interview, please contact Saoirse Gleeson (083 152 6907) GOAL Comms Team.