International Projects

Active Projects

Visan, Guatemala 

Water Distribution in Visan

Caserio de Visan is a village of 55 people in the mountains of northwest Guatemala. Visan purchased access to a mountain spring in 1998, and negotiated with the local government to help provide conveyance piping that would supply the village with water. After the Guatemalan Civil War ended, many people returned to the nearby city, and illegally tapped into the water supply piping they found along their newly purchased land. This has caused drinking water to Visan to gradually dry up.

Visan has purchased a plot of land on which a new storage tank can be placed. New piping will run through unpopulated farmland, where it will be inaccessible for households to tap into. In addition to water storage and conveyance, a treatment system, such as a chlorinator, will be installed for contaminant removal. The system will be sized to deliver water for 385 people, which considers a 3% population growth over 60 years. A local water committee will establish a monthly fee for general system maintenance and operation, and to hold open community meetings to make decisions, fundraise, and draft proposals in the event of any necessary repairs.

Visan Guatemala

Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) New Orleans Professional Chapter has agreed to help the village resolve their water problem by providing technical assistance. This will include three in-country visits; one each for Assessment, Implementation, and Monitoring. During the assessment trip, the chapter will determine project viability, establish a Project Partnership Agreement, and gather engineering data. The Implementation trip will engage EWB-USA NOLA volunteers with Visan to actualize our water distribution plans. Monitoring will ensure the needs of the community are being met, and to make any system improvements necessary for long-term program success.

After project completion, the residents of Visan will have reliable access to a sustainable water supply system for the foreseeable future, with control over its maintenance and operation, and support from EWB-USA NOLA volunteers for continued success.

Completed Projects

Caserio Toreras, El Salvador

A four person team from the EWB-USA New Orleans Professional Chapter recently completed an initial assessment trip to Toreras, El Salvador. Members of Toreras, a small rural community in the northeastern corner of El Salvador, have been resourceful in building their own small water systems for groups of households within the community. However, these systems are not currently able to serve everyone and maintenance issues such as landslides in the winter, limited flow in the summer, and animals interfering with the lines plague the system. Disruptions caused by these issues have led to the local school being without water for over a year as well as concerns that the newly implemented community fishery may not have an adequate water supply without system improvements. The proposed project aims to build a water distribution system to deliver water from natural springs in the area to all households, the local school and the community fishery.

Specific successes during the trip included:

  • Attendance of over 70 adults at the first community meeting representing members of each household in the community and some from neighboring communities.
  • Completion of a community map. The map shows over 15 water sources within the community, household locations, and links for where households currently gather water.
  • Gathering of water quality data and dry season flow measurements from each water source within the community.
  • Building relationships with the community’s school children through presenting a short activity on water conservation.
  • Interviews with multiple community members about their water usage, health issues and desires for an improved water system.

A second assessment trip to the community is being planned for October or November of 2012. A main objective of this trip will be to see the community and water sources during the rainy season. How the sources change throughout the year will be an important consideration for any final design as the sources expand during the wet season. While the first assessment trip focused on collecting data from all sources within the community, the second trip will collect more detailed information on site conditions around those springs with the most potential for future development. The second trip will also provide an opportunity to talk further with the community about the potential alternatives and any constraints or specific objectives to be included for design.

Amayo, Nicaragua

Some community members of Amayo.

Background:  Amayo is a loosely defined region in the district of Carazo, which is south of Managua, Nicaragua’s capital.  The community consists of 62 families (230 people) living in 55 homes.   Common issues in Amayo include: drinking water contamination, lack of sanitation facilities, disease transmission, women’s health, waste disposal, sexually transmitted diseases, poor access via local roadways, erosion, and seasonal flooding.  The setting is rural and on steep terrain.  Most families work at the local quarry and rely on subsistence farming.  Water is largely provided via two rivers surrounding the village.  Amayo is downstream of the larger city of Diriamba which means many contaminants and solid waste from the city are transported downstream and affect the village.

Mission:  Provide means to supply potable water to Amayo.  Educate community about hygiene.  Improve waste management.

Past Work:  As of March 2009, the chapter has installed about 20-30 water filters and 11 latrines.  This work has also included health education and surveys.