The BRAC-IRC Water Hackathon, held on July 19, 2025, at BRAC Centre in Dhaka, celebrated innovative, community-driven solutions to Bangladesh’s growing water crisis in coastal regions.
The event focused on combating saltwater intrusion and the effects of climate change, awarding the first prize to Shyam Shankaran for his affordable and remote-area-friendly “Project Jalbandhu” and the second prize to AMCC for their “Atmospheric Moisture for Coastal Communities” project.
Over 250 project proposals were submitted, with the winning ideas set to be piloted in selected coastal regions to assess their technical viability and potential for wider application.
The competition was supported by BRAC, IRC, and the Netherlands Embassy, with a panel of expert judges, including Dr. Shibly Sadiq and Dr. Tanveer Ahmed, recognizing the potential of these youth-led projects to transform water management in climate-resilient ways.