Young engineers making their contribution to change
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.
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.
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.
By elissam
We went to collect water samples from the reservoir and stream at Mari Pata. We did not hike all of the way up to the source, but took water samples from the stream about half way up the mountain because the guide said that the source was very difficult to get to and that the stream was collected from several small sources and then went underground. He said that the stream reappeared close to where we were taking the samples. After the hike, we went to have lunch with Jose Archimedes and Tia Blanca. Archimedes showed us around their farm, and explained some of the projects he has been working on. He is trying to expand their coffee crop, has also build a machine and series of tanks to shell and clean the beans.
When we returned to the Hummingbird House, we worked on the water tests for the Mari Pata stream and reservoir. Some of the townspeople dug up one of the pipes from the old system so that we could see the type of pipes, and intersection where the system branched out to serve the houses around the plaza.
After dinner was Caitlin’s birthday party. Wilma baked a cake, and Lucho brought in speakers and invited people into the Hummingbird House to drink and listen to music and play Zappo.
By elissam
After breakfast, we split up again to continue the water tests and survey the road towards Vista Alegre. Richard finished the rest of the chemical water tests while we finished most of the road- we had to come back when the battery died. We compiled a chart from all of the sources, and checked the bacteria tests, and then went to try to get on line. The internet is very slow.
Lucho showed us the tanks and reservoirs from the antique system. This system is fed by a third source called Mari Pata, which we had not known about before arriving in Chirimoto. The tanks have been out of use for decades, but the concrete is in tact and can be reused. The old system can still serve the roughly 60% of the town that was rebuilt below the tanks, and we hope to refill the tanks as a temporary source of clean water.
By elissam
We went to Milpuc to talk with the Doctor, collect water samples, and see the quarry. The doctor went through the same survey that we had given to Martin the other day, and she had similar answers and comments. She added, however, that the office in Milpuc most needs a computer to keep track of paperwork. After meeting with the medic, one of the townspeople offered to go to collect the water samples while we went to visit the quarry. We found that the quarry had mostly fine sand, and that although the owner told us that there were various sizes of sand, everything we saw was too small to be used for the filters we want to build.
When we returned from the quarry, we went to lunch at the municipality, and then returned to Chirimoto to start the water tests from the Milpuc sources.
By elissam
We split up to continue the water tests for Lambras and Yacuñao (the two sources that we had collected water from yesterday) and survey the road from Chirimoto up past the school and medical post.
There was also a town meeting in the Hummingbird House. Someone came to speak about improving the education system in the area. The region has received government funding, and is now working re-organizing the system, and getting supplies and benefits for the teachers.
By elissam
This morning we split up to collect water samples from the sources that serve Chirimoto and the neighboring town of Vista Alegre, Lambras and Yacuñao respectively. Two of the four piping systems that currently bring water into Chirimoto take water from Lambras (the Foncores and Parochial systems). Foncores also built the system in Vista Alegre. The fourth system is piped from another source called Mari Pata; this is the antique system that includes the old filter, sanitation tank, and reservoirs. We are hoping to return in December to clean all of the tanks and refill the filter as a temporary source of clean water and as a model for the other filters that will be built at Lambras and Yacuñao. I was on the hike up to Lambras with Charlie. The water is collected near the source, but is not piped down the entire distance to the town. From the collection, the water follows an open channel down to the reservoir about halfway down the mountain. We had originally wanted to survey the paths up to both sources to get the elevations of the sources as well as any reservoirs or tanks in the path of the pipeline, but the paths were too dense to be surveyed. Much of the trail up to Lambras was completely overgrown and even after our guide cleared it, we could not see more than 10 feet in front of us in some places.
In the afternoon we started the water tests for the samples we had just collected at Lambras and Yacuñao. When it got too dark to continue we packed up the equipment; there is no light in the room we have converted into our lab, so we only have until around 6:00 to work on the water tests each day.
After dinner Jeremy and I talked with the town medic, Martin. We brought surveys with us for the doctors, teachers, and townspeople of Chirimoto and its neighboring towns. Martin had a lot of information for us; it seems like the majority of the people in Chirimoto are healthy. There are very few illnesses, and many people live well into their 80s. Martin said that almost all of the townspeople have had to be treated for parasites. They receive this treatment from a doctor in Mendoza, who also brings vaccines and other medications every year. He also said that diet and cholesterol were a big concern, as much of the diet includes a lot of fried food and pork.
By elissam
Antonio, one of the engineers we met in Chachapoyas, came to the hummingbird house to discuss the revised plans for the water project. Antonio wrote the old report, which only consisted of a new piping system from one of the sources (Yacuñao), did not include any filtration or either of the other two filters, and had been rejected by the government.
The municipality gave us maps of two of the four piping systems in chirimoto. These are the two most recent systems, and were both built by Foncores as part of separate government projects. One is incomplete, and includes plans for a slow sand filter that was never built. The other did not have plans for filtration, and had poor water pressure. We were not able to get maps for the parochial or antique systems.
We finished the water tests from Leymebamba, and began testing the water from the Hummingbird House tap and Shocol river.
By elissam
After breakfast we took out the total station to survey and map the plaza and surrounding houses. Around noon we left for the teacher's festival in Milpuc. We heard the head of the teachers' association speak about pay raise for teachers, lack of resources, and classroom issues. He also called for a teachers strike to gain some recognition.
We walked back to Chirimoto, finished the plaza map, and then went to see the bookmobile. The bookmobile is still just a metal frame, and we spent some tim watching Panchito's kids climb on it and try to wheel it around.