Isla Popa 2, Panama Engineers Without Borders RPI 1/31/12

Important Community Members

Kate Douglass

Important Community Members

Porfirio Midi Community Leader and Healer

Important Community Members

Ramon Hines Speaks some English, very influential in the community

Important Community Members

Hombrosio Felix Milton

Sandubidi/Isla Popa II
Approximately 300 people 7 big families More than 120 children Part of the Ngobe tribe Speak Spanish Community is about 30 years old 35 homes 5-14 people per home Homes are spread out 3 neighborhoods/barios of houses Rainy season is October-January

Community Members
Build their own houses with wood from jungle nearby Grow some food, mostly root plants. They eat chicken, fish, shell fish, rice, and beans Men work off the island driving taxis and working in restaurants Kids go to school regularly People do not help their neighbors, they only help on communal things In order for something to be successful, they need to have a large part of the implementation or else it will be neglected They must have ownership of the project

Water
Almost all homes have a water collection tank
Approximately 250 gal tanks Built on a stand outside of home, have a small zinc roof over top of them and a gutter to collect the rain The rain water goes through either a screen or a cloth then enters the tank Tanks will go dry during dry season Before water tanks, they used wells, small holes dug into the bottom of a hill Rainwater is good to drink, well water is not Now they use wells for bathing and washing clothes Resort to using wells when tanks go dry

Water
Other water sources
Ojo de Agua: river 4.3 miles through jungle from the community
Isla Popa I has an aqueduct that uses the Ojo de Agua as a water source

River: not really a river, more like standing water, on the outskirts of the village Old well: 25 years old, cement, 15ft. deep, 4x4ft. wide. Used to have a pump, broke within year. Water was very good

Energy
No comprehensive electrical system. Some homes have generators. Some families use car batteries for energy at night Generator: Government gave them a generator 3 years ago. They did not give them the cables for it so it has never been used. Seems to be in good condition School has lights and fans but no actual electric system

Water Testing Results

We tested for pH, nitrate and nitrite, alkalinity, chlorine, temperature, and arsenic Most significant result: high levels arsenic in the water All other results were normal Couldnt test for bacteria because the testing materials needed refrigeration We want to send samples to a lab to get tested for arsenic We brought back dirt samples and pieces of the zinc roofs that the water runs off of to test them for arsenic to try to find out where it is coming from

WATER TESTING RESULTS Location School 1 School 2 Medical Center (Cloth Cover) Church (Screen Cover) Mangrove Covered Well Uncovered Well Kate's House (Dirty/not cleaned tank) Cleaned Tank Dirty roof Visitor's Hut (Small roof) New zinc roof (Small roof) Bottled water (Control) pH 5 5 6 6 9 6 7.5 6 7 6 6 7 7 Nitrate 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nitrite 0 0 0 0 0 80-240 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alkalinity Conductivity Chlorine 0 N/A 0 N/A 10 N/A 0 N/A N/A 20 N/A 20 N/A 0 N/A 0 N/A 40 N/A 0 N/A 0 N/A 0 N/A 0 0 0 0 0 70-300 0 70-150 0 0 0 0 30-70 0 0 0 20 0 30 Arsenic 0 0? 50 30 50 20 Temperature (Degrees F) 82 82 82 83 82 82 82 82 84 85 82 82 82

Community Meeting Conclusions

Two main problems exist: water and electricity Water
Run out of water in dry season Resort to wells, which are not safe to drink

Electricity
They want electricity for the school Will provide more opportunities for the kids Also would like to see electricity run to the houses Want to see the generator put to use

Consensus that water is the bigger issue

Community Meeting Conclusions

A Water Board was formed, Committee de Agua 5 people: Hombrosio, Felix, Porfirio, Ramon, Rosa Well be staying in contact with them throughout the semester

Floating Doctors/Health Problems

Group of doctors who live on a boat and serve remote coastal villages Dehydration is biggest problem Majority of people have low blood pressure People drink on average one cup of water a day Water and soil borne parasites are also a large problem Skin lesions are very common Children get sick the most, followed by women. Men dont get sick very often All families have lost at least one baby at some point

Trip Conclusions
Problem that they identified for us: water storage system is not adequate enough for the dry season. Solution must integrate community members so they have ownership. Kate was a great asset to the trip. She will be leaving in June though. Latrines Local Contacts and relationships made Health issues A simpler travel plan exits Alternates

This Semester
Goals
Clearly define communitys problem Develop concepts on how to solve the problem Gain a better understanding of water filtration systems and storage Be prepared to go on another assessment trip by May

This Semester
To do
522 Post Assessment form 506 Budget form 512 Project Profile Research water filtration and storage Research arsenic in water Test dirt and zinc samples Plan second assessment trip Maintain contact with community by calling at least once every other week Utilize Water Board Establish relationship with NGOs: Floating Doctors, Joe Bass, local contacts

Route to Popa II
Approx. 2400 mi, 9 waypoints

Route in Panama
Sixaola Bridge Changuinola Almirante Isla Colon Isla Popa

Possible Solutions
Design Tasks Rid water of arsenic and coli forms Sanitarily store water Provide fast, simple, and easy access to water stores Construct from locally available materials Require no to minimal electricity Minimal technology Design for sustainability with minimal plastics

Wells
Personal Wells Community Well Revitalize old wells

Rainwater Catchment
Improve catchment on school Improve storage capacity at homes

Aqueduct Desalination