Engineers Without Borders

Members of the EWB-Colorado Springs Professionals chapter and the EWB-Air Force Academy Student chapter traveled to Suncallo, Bolivia in late May of 2009 to complete an assessment of the community with support from Bolivia-based members of Engineers In Action (EIA). The assessment trip was the first stage of a planned aqueduct system for drinking water, irrigation, and sanitation for the Suncallo community. The community’s heritage is Aymara Indian: they are the descendants of the ancient Inca Empire.

Suncallo is located 16 kilometers east of the town of Escoma and the eastern edge of Lake Titicaca in the Bolivian Altiplano, a flat region that lies between the eastern and western cordilleras of the vast Andes mountain chain. The community sits in rugged, mountainous terrain at 4000 meters and is spread out about 1.6 kilometers along the hillside.

Travel to the site was delayed by unexpected airline requirements, road blockades, poor road conditions, and steep terrain, but with resourcefulness, teamwork, and community support, the EWB teams finally reached Suncallo.

During the initial meeting between EWB team members and Suncallo community leaders, it was determined that the community’s top priorities were to improve sanitation and to increase the capacity of the present drinking water system in order to provide service to the entire community. There is presently only a small pit latrine inside a small brick building located near the school. The latrine has four stalls with a hole in the concrete floor and two showers. Obviously, this single sanitation facility is inadequate for a community of 55 families.

On the following days, the EWB teams traversed the surrounding slopes, guided by community leaders. The teams walked their proposed route of the new pipeline/aqueduct system, taking GPS coordinate data along the proposed pipeline transect. EWB members carefully examined the three main spring-fed water sources, took water samples, measured intake flow rates at the two springs with existing PVC inflow pipelines, and examined the existing condition of the PVC pipeline and its structural support across wide ravines. Teams also installed a weir and measured stream flows along the valley floor. The water samples indicate that the springs have good water quality, with high mineral content and only slightly elevated pH levels. Agriculture and irrigation techniques were also documented with soil samples collected and analyzed.

Aside from collecting engineering data to help define priorities and community needs, the assessment trip also accomplished another important goal: to establish a respectful relationship with the community. The public festival in honor of the “Ingenieros” also helped build a sense of friendship and fellowship.

A tentative second assessment trip, and possibly a partial implementation trip, is under discussion for the October 2009 timeframe. In the meantime, all of the teams involved in the assessment trip will be reviewing collected data, discussing lessons learned, examining solutions for the community’s drinking water and sanitation needs, and researching and testing improved infrastructure designs.

If you can help support the implementation trip with a donation, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations can be made online at www.ewb-usa.org (use the following link)

Donation Link

or by mailing to: PO Box 51421, Colorado Springs, CO 80949

A special thanks to those who have contributed funds and/or equipment to support this project: