More Nicaragua Water Projects: El Porvenir and Agua Para La Vida

I am just getting around to finishing posts about my recent trip to Central America.

Evan Miles and I spent 13 June with El Porvenir's Rob Bell and intern Erik Zucker in the Matagalpa area (see my previous post about the first part of our visit with them).

Previous days were spent looking primarily at rope-pump systems and the like. On this visit we visited a gravity-flow system EP has done in the beautiful hills above Matagalpa.

We saw some systems that we had not seen before: a large sand and gravel-filled tank was used to filter the water before it flowed into the storage tank.

Here is Evan examining such a filter. Rob Bell is in the white shirt and the man next to him is from a local engineering firm. The filter is contained within the concrete tank on which the men are standing. The smaller photo shows what Evan saw.

I have seen gravity flow systems before, in Honduras - those are the only water systems I have worked on in that country - but we never used a sand filter, much less a mammoth one like the one shown here.

Here is the huge storage tank; the smaller photo shows the tank's interior.

After this, Rob and Erik left us in Matagalpa, where we were picked up by Amélie Morgaut, a young French engineer working with Agua Para La Vida in Rio Blanco. She was kind enough to fetch us, as Rio Blanco is a rough, 3-hour drive east of Matagalpa. It is a city of about 20,000, one of the gateways to Nicaragua's remote Atlantic region.

Here is a map showing APLV's projects.

The ACJF had funded the Los Placeres project and I was anxious to see it. Esteban Cantillano and Jaime Alonzo Rodriguez served as our guides on 14 June, surrendering their Sunday.

Here is Evan getting some information on the Los Placeres tank from Esteban.

Here is the valve leading from the filter tank (below the men):

Below, Evan and friends enjoy some clean water.

Jaime and Esteban showed us some other potential projects, including one in the community of La Isla.

We were very impressed with APLV. They are doing excellent work with gravity-flow systems. We enjoyed meeting with Jaime, Esteban and Carmen González, APLV's national coordinator, and the entire staff in Rio Blanco.

Amélie also showed me the school she directs. It's called Escuela Técnica de Agua Potable (ETAP; no WWW site unfortunately). The school has a rigorous two-year curriculum in gravity-flow systems and sanitation. She has 8 students, all Nicaraguans, who live at the school.

She mentioned that she was interested in developing a course in wells and pumps, because there are some areas where gravity flow systems won't do. I told her about the LS-100 drilling rig and she seemed quite interested.

My friend Alan McKay at DRI says that they are interested in giving their LS-100 rig away and I would like to try to get it to Amelie.

This concluded our visit to Nicaragua with El Porvenir and Agua Para La Vida. Evan and I were impressed with both organizations, and I discussed potential projects with each. I am looking forward to receiving some proposals.

“You make the road by walking on it” -- Nicaraguan proverb

Comments

[Susan L Smith, Professor of Law, Willamette University]

I am involved in community water projects in Honduras and Haiti. See drinkwaterforlife.org. My discipline is law, but I'd love to meet and talk about your Central American trip, financing community water projects, and more. My professional blog is Environmental Law Prof Blog, which has mentioned your great blog. Thanks Susan