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Post 3 Week 4 7/15-7/20
By the start of our last week we had finished
the construction of the first spring catchment and were putting the final
touches on the third catchment. When we conducted the new flow rate being
delivered to the community we found that it was twice as much as compared to
last year, a huge success!
We were using the extra labor we had available
to replace old pipeline and connect the new spring catchments to the storage
tank. Besides spending our time completing construction related tasks we began
completing important assessment related activities. An essential part of the
trip was to assess the feasibility of future projects that were in need in the
community. Through the first three weeks which included some preliminary data
collection we deduced that there were three viable future projects. These
included, a new water storage tank, a new pipeline connecting the communities
current storage tank to the beginning of the distribution line, and a new
distribution pipeline.
Since we had more time freed up, we were able
to conduct an experiment to determine the amount of water that was lost from
the current pipeline that connected the communities small water storage tank to
the beginning of the distribution line. We determined that they may be losing
up to 20% of their water in just this section of line.
We also had time to survey locations for a new
storage tank (we estimate that they require a tank three times as large as
their current one) and coordinate with the water committee president concerning
purchasing land if necessary for it. We also spent a considerable amount of
time running hydraulic calculations to determine the necessary pipe sizes for
different parts of the distribution line that could accommodate the required demand
in the community in 30+ years.
We were communicating this information to the
water committee since at the end of the day they would be the ones deciding
which project they would want for next year. At the last community meeting we
told the community members what different alternatives we would be assessing
with the data we collected for next years project. They began discussing and
expressed already that they would want a new storage tank if it was possible.
We estimated that a new storage tank would need to hold approximately 25,000
gallons of water to capture the current windfall during non-peak hours. We
consulted with the local municipality and they estimated that based on their
previous projects it would cost between $20,000-$30,000 to construct a tank
that size. This would be on top of the extra $5,000-$7,000 that is required to
send the students on the trip itself.
While this number seemed and is daunting, we
had a final meeting with the mayor of the municipality and he expressed that he
would do everything he could to help us complete the rest of our projects. Also
at this meeting with the mayor we were all surprisingly presented with medals
from the government. This occurred on our final day in the community (our taxi
was set to leave in 3 hours). Afterwards we got some ice cream treats with the
water committee members who were expressing their gratitude for everything we
had done. This was one of my favorite memories since everyone was ecstatic not
only at the prospect of currently having more water but for the possibilities
in the future of securing a dependable potable water system for their children.
I really can’t express what an important
impact this trip has had on my outlook of life. We worked in a community that
rarely had access to a full day of water and minimal amenities, but what they
did have in plenty was love that they shared unconditionally with us. It was
really eye opening to meet a community that wanted to live a peaceful life off
their subsistence farms. Many of them only wanted to have a sustainable access
to resources like water and opportunity for their children to receive an
education.
I highly encourage anyone that has the
opportunity to work on a service project in a developing community (local or
international) to do so. It really has shaped me into a more empathetic citizen
and I can’t wait to continue to pursue a career where I can give back to those
less fortunate.
Viva Peru!
Performing a leaks assessment with Tito who
was a past water committee president and was invaluable on the current project
trip.
After our last community community meeting
After the meeting with the mayor of San Marcos
(district capital) we were awarded medals for our service to the community of
La Huaylla
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