Nicaragua II: Water Supply
Community
La Prusia, Nicaragua
Weekly Meetings
Sundays at 2:00 PM in the OEDK
Problem
The community’s current water supply comes from a storage tank that is outside of the community. The community is charged with the economical and logistical burden of propelling the water 4 km to another storage tank that actually provides water to the community. The total cost for this water service is $1,281.83 USD. This cost is unreasonably high for the intermittent service that the community receives. Additionally, families are occasionally forced to buy water from external sources or to look for alternative water sources. The current supply of water does not meet the cooking, cleaning, and bathing needs of the families.
Solution
Our team’s goal is to provide La Prusia with a more inexpensive, reliable source of water. The tentative plan is to develop a water source inside of the community that provides water to their storage tank. The water will then be distributed by the most accessible gravity system to around 260 houses within the community.
Impact
An independent water source will improve the health and economic well-being of its current residents. Constant access to potable water would allow sufficient water to maintain clean houses and improve hygiene standards. This system would also relieve the economic pressure placed on families who have previously been forced to buy additional water from other sources and pay abnormally high fees for unreliable service.