In Ho Chi Minh City, there are more than 80,000 sewers, all of which are constantly getting filled with loads of litter and filthy liquid every day. These sewers often need manual cleaning that takes a lengthy time, disturbs traffic as well as pedestrians, and is known to have one of the worst working conditions.

Reportedly, cleaners have to face various risks such as skin diseases and wounds due to contact with chemicals and sharp objects, respiratory diseases due to exposure to toxic gases, fatal accidents like suffocation or sewer collapse, and many more caused by harsh working conditions. Moreover, these conditions only worsen during flood seasons, when the amount of trash accumulated in such sewers increases significantly and the weather furthers difficulties.

We aim to tackle two issues: provide renewable energy and keep the sewerage clean. To achieve this, we divided it into two main components: a power generator and a fishnet-like mechanism that acts as the cleaner.

Through HydroScoop, we endeavor to be at the forefront of harnessing energy from an unconventional yet potent natural force – floods. Our goal is to leverage this energy to power our machine designed to prevent waste from entering sewerage and possibly serve as an inventive method to power homes. In embracing such a strategic approach, we seek to revolutionize the field and to address key sustainable development goals relating to sustainable cities and communities. By delivering clean electricity and mitigating sewage blockages, this enhances the well-being of residents in waterlogged urban areas.

Many field surveys and research have also been conducted to gain a better understanding of the true demand of our product. After inspecting many sewers in various areas around the city that have been reported to be blocked during floods, we gained more insight on how to design an effective net that would be able to capture litters while allowing water to flow through. In addition, we reached out to public cleaners to hear about their experience in cleaning sewerage, many have pointed at the need to improve the methods that the sewages are cleaned. This validates our innovation as we are effectively attempting to solve the issue faced by people in the community.