Opening a door to dignity in South Nuevo León, MéxicoProject Lead: Mike Lutomski. Donate to the EWB-JSC Mexico project here! ObjectiveEWB - JSC Chapter plans to provide clean water solutions to South Nuevo León rural communities in Mexico. The objective is to improve human development by implementing projects that are:
BackgroundThere are about 250 people per village, and the public health challenge is clean water. Gastro-intestinal diseases are the major causes of illnesses and death in infants! EWB-JSC chapter traveled in Mexico to the South of Nuevo León in March of 2007 to identify specific villages in need and to do a pre-assessment of the public health needs. Later in November, the team traveled to Puerta de Aguilar to do an assessment of the village in cooperation with faculty and students from the Institute of Technology of Linares. The team conducted water quality testing, geographical surveying, and community and health surveys. Water samples revealed considerable amounts of harmful bacteria and pathogens. Geographical surveying revealed a non-feasible source of underground water due to high salinity in the region. La Puerta de Aguilar – Project Status, January 2010The EWB-JSC Mexico Team has recently visited the community of La Puerta de Aguilar, Nuevo León, in December 2009. The rapid sand water filtration system we call BYOW, or “Bring Your Own Water,” remains operational and produces clean water. The team is working issues in two main areas. First, the system is not being utilized by community as planned. The community is relying on unfiltered and contaminated water from a rain catchment reservoir that is closer to the housing in the community. When this reservoir runs dry in the spring or dry season, the community is purchasing bottled water. The reasons for this underutilization are both physical and social. The BYOWs physical location is a problem due to the fact that water has to be transported to and from the BYOW and the door is frequently locked and inaccessible. Additionally the water has high turbidity, or cloudiness, and makes people believe the water is not sanitary or clean. The team is investigating ways to removed some of the clay in the water using a coagulant. When the system was installed and given to the citizens of Aguilar, a Water Committee was formed. To date this committee is not well organized and much of the previous knowledge has been lost. Secondly, there are a few technical or engineering issues with the system that need to be addressed. None of these issues however affect the use or quality of the water or the unit. Technical issues include small leaks on the lids of the polyethylene drums used for the filter, corrosion of fittings, and some valves that are becoming sticky with contamination. To assist in address these issues, the Mexico team has employed the assistance of a local resident and businessman in the nearby city of Matehuala, San Luis Potosi. This person will be assisting us in not only maintaining the mechanical systems but will be helping overcome some of the cultural and educational barriers to using the system. We are working on specific plans for further educating the community on how and why to use the system. Our next trip is being planned for March or April, 2010. The focus of this trip will be to perform maintenance tasks on the system and to execute an additional educational campaign. We can always use your help, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like to participate! Additional pictures of the EWB-JSC Mexico project, including the December 2009 trip, are available here. |
Mexico Project DocumentsPostersReports
See additional documents and project history in the Mexico project archive. |