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Water Supply: La Lagueneta / El Chile, El Salvador
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Project Manager: Ben Hostetler Project Team:
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RECENT PICTURES (August 2006)
Last August, a few of our team visited La Laguneta.
Location
The villages of La Laguneta and El Chile are located on the side of the San Vicente Volcano in the hilly northern region of the state of La Paz. The villages are located approximately 60 miles east of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador.
Project Overview & Objectives
In November 2005, Molly Sugrue, a Peace Corps volunteer living in the village of La Laguneta, El Salvador, submitted an application for a water supply project to EWB-USA. The project was brought to our attention by the national organization, who requested that we help Molly finalize the project application. Molly requested help for the improvement of the current water supply systems of the villages of La Laguneta and El Chile in El Salvador. EWB-CSU conducted an initial site assessment trip over Spring Break 2005 and recently returned this past August. Currently, the village of La Laguneta obtains their water from a number of public and private hand-dug wells. These wells provide 1-4 cantaros (water jug of approximately 25 liters or 5 gallons) per family during the four month dry season. The villagers are responsible for pumping and carrying the 55 pound jugs of water back to their homes on their heads. This is all the water that each family (usually 4-6 people) may use for the cleaning, cooking, and bathing each day. In contrast, the average person in Fort Collins, Colorado will use around 150 gallons of water per day. However, La Laguneta isn't only lacking in water quantity; the quality of the water coming from the wells is also poor.
The situation in El Chile is similar to that of La Laguneta. The water in El Chile comes from a spring located approximately 40 meters below the village. The spring provides sufficient water for the villagers during the rainy season, but provides a similar quantity of water to that of La Laguneta during the dry season. However, because of its origins, this water source is much cleaner than that of La Laguneta.
Considering the limited quantity of water available during the dry season, the objective of this project is to provide a clean and reliable water supply system to the villages. This project will address the issues of water quantity, water quality, and the labor involved in obtaining water every day.
Several benefits of providing a reliable water system, mentioned by Molly Sugrue in the project application are described in the following quote: "I believe this project will free up time for women to become more involved in the community and to participate more in decision making. Especially during the dry season, much time is committed to getting enough water for one's family. Even more important are the impacts on health that the current water shortages have on these communities. During the dry season, they have approximately 25-100 liters of water for an entire family (average 4 to 6 people) to drink, bathe with, wash clothes, do dishes, and maintain proper hygiene (brushing teeth, washing hands, etc.). As a result, important health practices are not followed in many families since there simply is not enough water available. With more water available, hygiene will be improved and, almost certainly, overall health."
History of La Laguneta and El Chile
La Laguneta was established over 100 years ago by five families who today comprise approximately 80% of the current 151 family village. Sugarcane was the first crop to be cultivated in the area; however, because of the dropping value of sugarcane, it was soon replaced by coffee. Today, coffee is still the primary crop grown in the area. However, since coffee prices have recently fallen drastically, there is much less work in the area.
El Salvador recently experienced a civil war that devastated the country through most of the eighties and into the early nineties. The FMLN (opposing socialist party) sought to eliminate the rule of the wealthy while using very brutal and heavy-handed methods. Today, many people in La Laguneta describe the behavior of the FMLN as terrifying and unjust. During the war, a FMLN outpost was located on the volcano above La Laguneta and El Chile. Local accounts of the FMLN's activities in La Laguneta included forcing the women to cook for FMLN guerrillas and forcing the men to haul FMLN supplies. The troops burned down the local land owner's estate and killed several villagers. When opposing government troops arrived, the FMLN quickly left the area. At the conclusion of the war, the FMLN became a political party which is still very active in El Salvador. In March, several villagers stated that even though they might support the FMLN on an ideological basis, they refuse to support them because of atrocities that they committed during the war.
In January and February of 2001, two large earthquakes devastated the area surrounding the volcano. Many villages, including La Laguneta and El Chile, were affected. Much of La Laguneta was destroyed, including an adobe church and many residences. The government and a few charitable wealthy families provided much of the needed funds and materials needed to rebuild the destroyed villages. Today, there are many new buildings in La Laguneta, such as the church and small cinderblock homes. These buildings are a result of the redevelopment efforts. Another major impact of the earthquakes was a drastic loss in groundwater production in both villages. After the quakes hit, the inhabitants observed a dramatic reduction in the quantity of water coming from both wells and springs.
Current System in La Laguneta
The water system from which the community currently receives water incorporates both shallow wells and rooftop catchments. There are 5 public shallow wells, ranging in depth from 15-18 meters. All the wells use hand pumps to draw the water and are monitored by one person, who is in charge of unlocking each pump and overseeing the activities at the pump. Each family is provided a well and a time, either morning or evening, when they can fill their cantaros (25 liter jug used to carry water). The wells are open for pumping between the hours of 4:30am to 7:00am and 4:00pm to 8:00pm.
There is one concrete storage tank with a capacity of approximately 75 cubic meters, or 20,000 gallons. This storage tank is filled with surplus water during the rainy season. Recently, during a dry period in the village, the local mayor volunteered to fill this tank for free which requires 13 trips from a local water truck. This supply only gives each family one additional cantaro for one month before the tank runs dry. A pump exists to fill the storage tank from one of the wells. However, the pump does not run often. To maintain the existing system, each of the 148 families in La Laguneta pay $3.43 annually. Most of this money goes to pay electric costs for filling the large tank.
Many homes have a rooftop catchment system that is utilized during the rainy season. The roofs are often made of sheet metal or roofing tile, while the gutters are often made of sheet metal or bamboo. The catchment systems carry water to a large bucket or concrete basin which can typically hold about 300 liters or 80 gallons of water. However, many of the people in the two villages see rainwater as unfit for drinking and use it only for bathing and washing dishes.
Problems with the Existing System
The community of La Laguneta has identified three serious problems with the current water system. First, and most importantly, there is a shortage of water. During the four month dry season, families are often limited to 2 cantaros (a water carry jug) of water per day. This quantity is equivalent to 50 liters of water per family per day. Most families in the community are comprised of 4 to 6 people. Recently, the mayor of the municipality hired someone to drill a deep well, located between several of the shallow wells. After drilling 103 meters, the drillers hit bedrock and the mayor stopped any further drilling.
The second issue that has been identified by the community is the poor quality of the water. Most of the families are aware of the contamination that currently exists in the water. The health promoter in the community educated the villagers on the contamination of the water and its links to cases of diarrhea and gastritis. He also initiated a water committee, which works closely with the health committee. The Ministry of Health, a governmental organization within El Salvador, provides a disinfectant called Puriagua to the health promoter for distribution among the families. Puriagua is a 0.5% solution of sodium hypochlorite. Currently, 90-95% of the families claim to use Puriagua. As a result, the number of cases of diarrhea has decreased in recent years. Nevertheless, there are obvious problems with water quality. Pit latrines are located within a close proximity of each well. Subsurface contamination from the pit latrines drains directly into the aquifer, and is responsible for the presence of fecal bacteria in the water. Grey water is often visible running in the streets and through small open trenches in the soil. Currently, no grey water systems are in place in La Laguneta to deal with this problem.
The third problem stated was the labor involved in distributing the water to each house. When transported by the women, each cantaro is carried one at a time on top of the head. The young men and boys frequently carry more than one at a time, usually on their shoulders. Each cantaro weighs approximately 55 lbs. The longest hauling time for families in La Laguneta is around 15 minutes from the well location to their homes. In the village of El Chile, the spring is located significantly below the village. This requires a much more strenuous haul than that in La Laguneta.
Solution - Installation of More Shallow Wells in La Laguneta
We have determined that the best available solution to increase the volume of La Laguneta and El Chile's water supply is to install a series of up to 5 additional shallow wells in the La Laguneta aquifer. The La Laguneta aquifer is recharged by runoff from the surrounding hills and the San Vicente Volcano. On our most recent trip this past August, a hydrogeologic study was conducted, and it was determined that it is very likely that enough water exists under La Laguneta to supply both cities during the dry season. However, the exact yield of the La Laguneta aquifer won't be known until drilling has begun. If enough water is found to be available in the La Laguneta aquifer, a portion of it will be sent through a pipeline to El Chile to augment their supply.
Capital costs for this system will include the drilling of up to 5 additional wells of 20 to 43 meters, the construction of a storage tank in both La Laguneta and El Chile, a chlorination system, a pipeline between the two villages, and a distribution system in each town consisting of several taps. Maintenance costs for this option include centralized chlorination, electrical costs from pumping, and general system maintenance and upkeep. Costs associated with the construction of the distribution system will be reduced through the use of communal labor. Each family would be required to provide labor in the construction of the distribution system so that each person develops a connection and sense of ownership to their system. During construction, one or several individuals within the community will be trained in system operation and maintenance.
This option was selected from several others because it presents the most sustainable, self-sufficient water system for La Laguneta and El Chile, while keeping monthly operational costs down for the villagers. Following system implementation, the two villages would be solely responsible for the operation and maintenance of the system.
Current Progress
During the August trip the team conducted a hydrogeologic study, identified and ranked possible well locations, performed a series of water quality tests, and established contact with possible funding organizations. The group is currently in the process of completing the water quality analysis, drilling specifications, cost estimates, and design work so that the process of fundraising can be initiated.
Funding
Engineers Without Borders is a non-profit organization and therefore relies on obtaining funding through donations and grants. These donations come from a number of different sources, including private donors and governmental and non-governmental organizations. In El Salvador we are currently seeking funding for project implementation from several donors including the El Salvadoran Red Cross and local Rotary Clubs. Also, in order to help cover the cost of travel and project management, EWB-CSU is also actively seeking funding from private donors in the Fort Collins and surrounding areas. All financial donations made to CSU-EWB are eligible for tax deduction. An online donation can be made through the College of Engineering. Material donations are also greatly appreciated.