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You are currently browsing the Engineers Without Borders at Boston University blog archives for July, 2009.

Jul

21

Day 24

By elissam

Paolo and Lucho showed us the things thay had bought in Mendoza yesterday- the rebar for the stove top, and a couple of valves to fix the air blocks Angel showed us. Lucho said they had also found someone who can get us a metal tube for the chimney. They also found us another transformer to charge the Total Station, since Professor Hopcroft took his with him when he and Caitlin left. We had lunch in Vista Alegre with the family who owned one of the improved kitchens we had seen yesterday. We took measurements and discussed design- whether the family liked their kitchen, what they would do differently, etc.

Jul

20

Day 23

By elissam

We split up this morning. Lucho and Paolo are going to Mendoza to buy the rebar and other supplies we need for the improved kitchen project. The rest of us stayed to work more on the kitchen design.

We found out that there were a couple of improved kitchens in the area, so we spent the morning walking to Vista Alegre with some of Panchito's children to see one of them. There is another in Vista Alegre and one in Chirimoto that we will be seeing later this week. When we got back, we had lunch with Tulio and then started making the adobe for the kitchen we hope to build in the Hummingbird House. Panchito offered to make the bricks; he said that if we have time to use them on this trip we can, and that if we do not he will store them somewhere or make new bricks if he has another project to do. We hope to have time to build the oven, but must wait for the adobe to dry. This normally takes about one week to 10 days, so we are cutting our time close but think it best to plan everything and have it ready even if we do not have time to build this trip.

Jul

19

Day 22

By elissam

There was another meeting of the water board this afternoon. Elections for president, VP, secretary and treasurer were held. Our previous meetings had involved all of the same members, but no positions had been formalized. Today, there were more people from the town present to vote. We talked in more detail about the committee's responsibilities.

We spent a while discussing in detail three options for the town. The first option involves only our group- we would start by refilling the Mari Pata system, and then start a several-year process to build the other two systems. The next option involves mostly the governmet, and does not include the Mari Pata system at all. The government would build just the two new filters with our supervision. Both parties are part of the third option in which we refill Mari Pata in January as a temproary filtered source and as a model for the next two filters, and then we work with the government to design the other filters. The government agreed that would fund the majority of the project if we were to collaborate, so the project will run much faster if the government is involved. The community agreed that it would be best to have government funding so that the project can be completed within a couple of years, and so that we can also direct our attention to other initiatives in the community. Most members now agree that it would be better to fill the Mari Pata system as a model for the other tanks.

Jul

18

Day 21

By elissam

Late start this morning. After breakfast, we read over the plans for the improved kitchens and continued to work on calculating elevation points and drawing a preliminary map of the town. We are planning on spending some time this week looking at examples of improved kitchen projects that have been built in the area. We may be traveling to Omia to see some kitchens, and there is one that we know of in Chirimoto that we will be looking at later this week.

This afternoon is Lucho's Cousin's wedding. We left around 2:00 and started walking towards Pindicucho, another small neighboring town and the bride's hometown. The ceremony was a small civil matrimony held in the bride's family's home. Dinner and dancing followed. We all felt awkward eating dinner with the bride and groom and their immediate families. After dinner, we watched the bride and groom dance with various relatives, and then the cumbia started and the dance floor was opened up to the rest of the guests. We left around 11 with a relative of Lucho's who was heading back to Chirimoto.

Jul

17

Day 20

By elissam

Angel met Paolo and I this morning to take us up to the source at Mari Pata, while Jeremy, Charlie and Richard continued surveying. We had not gotten all the way up to the source the other day with the whole group, and we want to be sure that all of the sources are clean. We had taken the sample from where the stream reappeared, and are worried that the sample will have more contaminants that the source because much of the mountain is cow pasture. We are still waiting to see the coliform counts, but feel that we sould be consistent.  On the hike up, we were talking to Angel about the meeting last night and what he thinks would be best for the town; he seems to think it a bad idea to revive the old system because of the condition of the old pipes and because the system can only serve up to 3/4 of the town if the pipes are in good condition.

Although Mari Pata is closer to Chirimoto than the source at Lambras, the hike took longer- almost 4 hours- because the path was so dense. The source is actually several small streams that join, fall over a waterfall, and then flow down the mountain to the capture tanks. On the hike down, we passed the reservoir for the Foncodes system. We met the others at Alberto's house for Lunch, and then returned to the Hummingbird House.

Jul

16

Day 19

By elissam

We spent the morning back at the reservoir and tank for the Mari Pata system.

Lucho and Jeremy returned from Mendoza late- about half an hour before the the water board meeting started. We discussed the organization and formation of committees to finish and/or mainatain any work we start during our stay, to help us while we are here. We spent the majority of the meeting discussing what our group will be doing when we return. We mentioned that we could refill the old filter and put the Maari Pata system back into operation when we return in January, and we gave the town the option of having us build both of the new filters, or letting the government build the filters with our supervision. While we are skeptical of allowing the government to work on another water system in Chirimoto, given the state of the last four, we have an offer for government funding and our group will be able to work with the government to agree on designs and supervise construction. Alone, our group would take several more years to complete the filters, so the board members agree that it would be a better idea to involve the government. Details will be discussed and confirmed at the next meeting. The board can not seem to decide if they want us to revive the old system or start right away in January on the new filters; they say that the project might not be worth it because we know nothing about the condition of the pipeline. Our thought is to revive the system as a model for the town and government to follow.

Jul

15

Day 18

By elissam

We all met up at the Trigoso's after breakfast, and then went into Mendoza. Lucho took Jerry and Caitlin to the airport while the rest of us went to look around the shop for materials and get phone numbers. 

Lucho was late getting back because he had had to spend a long time arguing with the airport officials to get Jerry and Caitlin on their flight back to Lima. When he got back, Paolo and Art we not with him. They had gotten off in Chachapoyas and would be arriving later by taxi.

We had to borrow money to pay for our flights back to Lima because we found out that the bank in Mendoza would not take foreign cards and we were stuck without our money. Thankfully, we made it to the Municipality and got the tickets before the office closed. We spent the next couple of hours until Paolo and Art arrived at dinner and then buying groceries.

Jul

14

Day 17

By elissam

Angel met us at 8:30 to finish the second excavation of the piping systems. We had started found another place yesterday, in front of the house where the tanks from the old system are and started to dig, but ended up digging a trench and running water through it to soften the ground. Again, we were unsure of exactly where the systems would cross. This excavation should have shown us the intersection of the Old and Foncodes systems, and we uncovered both pipes, but not in the same place. We estimated the cross to be some ten feet away from the hole and trench we had dug. We also surveyed and measured the tank and reservoirs.

Rinchard, Charlie, and I left for Mendoza with Antonio Trigoso at 3- the others will come tomorrow in another car. While we were gone they held an impromptu water board meeting, and started to plan the commitees and our next meeting.

Jul

13

Day 16

By elissam

This morning we met with Angel to start digging up the intersections of the three piping systems. We have a map of the Foncodes system, but not of the parochial or old systems, and the community seems to only have a rough idea of where all of the pipelines actually are. We are hoping to eventually repair or replace the pipelines, and will need an accurate map of all three systems. We may also connect some of the existing pipes if they are undamaged. 

We started an excavation on the side of the road in front of the medical post, where Angel had said the Old and Foncodes systems crossed. The Foncodes system follows the current road down to the town, while the old system follows the old road leading from the medical post down to the town. It took a good hour and a half to dig up the segment of pipe, and we were not able to find the intersection- Angel estimated that we had dug too far up the road by about 15 or 20 feet. We saw Ciro while we were digging, and he brought us oranges. There are orange and plantain trees everywhere here, and we have seen Ciro out collecting them several ties so far. He seems to do several odd jobs around the town- we see him outside working on the gardens in the Plaza almost every day as well.

Jul

12

Day 15

By elissam

Late start this morning. We finished surveying the road to Vista Alegre and then went to Lunch with Abraham Rodriguez’ family. Abraham’s family owns a small store, as well as the one telephone and computer in the town. We were at their house the other day when we went to use the internet.

We also finished the water tests for Mari Pata today.