2020-2021

The goal of the Water Project is Improved Water and Hygiene for six rural communities in Nicaragua.  The objectives are:
1. To establish safe potable water systems in four rural communities (Casa de Piedra, El Jabillo, La Vigia and La Flor). This involves drilling four wells – one in each community.  Three of the communities have electricity so electric pumps and panels will be installed; the fourth does not have electricity so a hand pump will be installed. 

2. To upgrade two potable water systems in two other communities (Nandarola and San Luis) by removing hand pumps that are failing and installing electric pumps, water towers and an extended distribution system which will bring well water closer to the users.

3. To deliver education/training to all six rural communities for best practices involving community water management 

NOTE: With the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to do this with the utmost urgency since clean water is an important part of prevention and treatment for this devasting disease.  With the COVID crisis and pandemic, we need to prioritize and expedite this project ASAP so we can get the clean water to the villages to enable the sanitation and hygiene (like handwashing) that is necessary to save lives. The Rotary Club of Granada will to start the project even if rainy season conditions are not ideal.  The local government and Hospital/Medical Community will begin to educate around the same measures of hygiene and social distancing that we are practising in Canada so to combat COVID as an immediate priority.

Casa de Piedra, El Jabillo, La Vigia and La Flor have only shallow wells which become contaminated during the dry season.  Currently their water is trucked to them and then stored in unsanitary, open containers.  In addition, the well in La Flor (which is an isolated mountain village) is contaminated by heavy metals and hydrogen sulfide.  Water must be rationed in La Flor which impacts the amount of clean water available both for drinking and for sanitation.  With the proposed Water Project, we will drill 150 ft wells and install water storage towers in all four communities.  In the three communities that have electricity - Casa de Piedra, El Jabillo, and La Vigia - we will also install electric pumps with control panels.  The fourth community - La Flor - has no electricity so the newly drilled well will utilize an existing manual India pump.  The collective population of the six villages is about 1900 people.

Nandarola and San Luis have existing deep wells, but the manual water pumps currently used are wearing out due to use and age (more than five years old).  The manual pumps will be replaced with electric pumps.  As well, water storage towers and pipe distribution systems will be constructed.  Nandarola and San Luis are larger communities, each involving about 100 families (population about 500 each).  The new Nandarola distribution system will be about 7.5 km long while the San Luis system will involve 3.5 km of piping.  Each distribution system will be buried to a depth of two feet (as per regulations).  There will be taps at several stations along the line including school and Medical Center but at this point, not into or at every house.

The distribution systems will enable easier accessibility to clean potable water so more villagers will use and then reap health benefits. The electric pumps will be able to pump larger volumes of water (50% more) which, with the addition of storage tanks and piping, will better meet local needs.

Currently, the distance which water must be transported (carried) is a serious handicap for the most distant families in Nandarola and San Luis which means sanitation and household health suffer.  

In order to combat the problem of limited water supply, the Nicaraguan government has developed Law 722 to create local Committees for Drinking Water and Sanitation, otherwise known as CAP.  This law allows members of communities to form organised groups to legally manage their own water supplies.  Each of the six communities participating in this Water Project has formed a CAP.

The well drilling and distribution activities will be accompanied by instruction in sanitation and wise use of water in all six communities so as to enhance the longevity of the technology investments and to sustain the advances in health as related to clean water.  Two members of each local CAP will be selected to receive training from the well drilling team in how to monitor operations of the wells and pumps plus how to clean the storage towers of accumulated sediment.  In the case of Nandarola and San Luis, there will also be instruction in conducting repairs with the pipe distribution system.  All the members of each CAP will also receive ‘train the trainer’ instruction in understanding the contents of the Water Use & Conservation Manual that is provided to each community’s CAP.  This training will be done with support from the Rotary Club of Granada, the local Alcaldia, and the Nandaime Hospital medical team.  CAP members will then educate their respective communities in the use and conservation of the new clean water resources.

In formal meetings with the local governments (regional and village level) and through formal and informal conversations with village leaders and village members, the provision of clean and potable water was identified as the highest priority of the six communities. Casa de Piedra, El Jabillo, La Vigia and La Flor were identified by the local government as the neediest communities because the shallow dug wells currently used by the villages become contaminated in the dry season due to shallow water table conditions.  La Casa de Piedra’s situation is further complicated by heavy water consumption of the nearby rice and sugar cane fields.

In developing the proposed Water Project over the past year, several meetings were held with municipal and regional government officials and the Rotary Club of Granada in order to explore feasibility and, once it was decided to move ahead, to plan. There were at least two meetings in each of the six villages to outline the proposed project to the village officials and to the general public. Feedback was obtained and ramifications related to access, maintenance duties, and use of either an annual or a monthly tax/fee on villagers to maintain the system were all discussed. Most villages will charge on an ‘ability to pay’ basis.  There was unanimous approval for the final plans for each community. Government officials also met with the villagers to assist them in planning for water system fees and issued a detailed manual outlining establishing and managing village-specific tax/contingency funds plus the duties and responsibilities of the CAP formed in each community. 

i.    Nandarola – 2 general meetings with villagers and Rotary representatives and local government to develop and confirm the CAP and the tax/contingency fund
ii.    San Luis – one general meetings with villagers and Rotary representatives and local government to develop and confirm the CAP and the tax/contingency fund
iii.     El Jabillo - one project discussion meeting with Rotary representatives and a government engineer, another meeting between government officials and community leaders to identify CAP members, and a second meeting between the CAP and local government to develop the tax/contingency fund
iv.    Casa de Piedra - 2 project discussion meetings with Rotary representatives and government officials plus a separate meeting between the local government and the Casa De Piedra CAP to develop the tax/contingency fund
v.    La Vigia - 2 general discussion meetings involving villagers, Rotary representatives and government officials plus separate meetings between local government and community leaders/the CAP to develop the contingency fund
vi.    La Flor - one meeting with Rotary representatives and one with government officials to develop the CAP and tax/contingency fund

The local government works in co-operation with ENACAL - Nicaraguan Company of Sanitary Aqueducts and Sewers – and ProVenir.  The local government officials and community are all supportive of the proposed Water Project.  Please see Needs Studies attached for each community.  The CAPs for each community represent a mixture of women and men (usually six members in total).  A president, vice president and treasurer are identified for each CAP.

The Rotary Clubs in Nicaragua have a well drilling operation that they own and operate as a collective.  They charge only for costs to operate the drilling machine plus food and fuel for the days that the machine is drilling. The costs are usually around $4,000 USD for a depth of about 300 feet.  This makes the Rotary drilling service more cost-effective than private well drilling companies. The proposed project will utilize the collective Rotary drilling service and its accompanying expertise. All quotes are based upon cost estimates supplied by the Rotary Clubs of Nicaragua well drilling team. 

Oversite will also be carried out by the Local government and the municipal project engineer (Terry) who will also assist and troubleshoot. There will be additional oversite during the twice annual medical visits from the COMMIT program team of the Rotary Club of Stratford Charitable Foundation. 

Each village will own its well, water tower and pump and, if present, piping system. The CAP in each community will be trained in proper meeting procedures, holding meetings, CAP responsibilities, transparency, and how to collect and safeguard money.  Each CAP will be responsible for paying each community’s electric bill and overseeing maintenance and repair of well infrastructure.  The CAPs will be guided by a large manual prepared by the local Alcaldia. 

Water testing will occur yearly by local government as per their policy and procedures.  As noted, the Alcaldia is overseeing all of the above.

 

• active involvement as the International Partner - Rotary Club of Stratford,
• donations by;
  • the Rotary Club of Stratford, and
  • D6330 DDF

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