Engineering Students Give Water In Ecuador
A small indigenous Ecuadorian community now has clean spring water thanks to a passionate group of engineering students at the NJIT Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. The initiative started in 2016 as part of an independent project led by Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Jay Meegoda. Students in his classes were tasked with the design and implementation of a spring cap to clean and increase the supply of water from a natural spring in the Cotopaxi Province.
It’s the first of the three phases that will see the community gain access to clean spring water on tap. The area’s need for fresh water was identified by Engineers in Action and Life Giving Water International, two non-governmental organizations who worked closely with NJIT students throughout the project.
Residents of the village of about 150 rely on the natural spring as its sole source of freshwater. The problem, though, is that the water quality is low and village residents must walk a far distance to retrieve the water. The village is a mountainous area where water flows naturally from underground springs to the surface. Springs like this one easily become contaminated by animals who share the water source and by people who use the water to wash clothes and bathe. Protecting the water source from contamination requires capturing it and diverting it to a tap.
Three students visited Ecuador for three days in 2019 to meet the community, scope out the natural spring site, and collect data for the design. The original plan was for students to return and implement the spring cap in person with members of the community, many of whom volunteered to help.
“We went to develop a relationship and the people there were super receptive,” said David Rogriguez, who worked on the project for years before graduating NJIT in 2020 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He traveled with fellow NJIT engineering students Conan Cullen and Yoshinori Nomura. “They took time to do a cultural exchange. We spent the first day there just eating their food and dancing.”
"This project goes deeper than pipes." - Wilmer Santacruz
Fun and games would soon come to a halt as the pandemic forced the students to shift to a remote implementation plan. They fundraised $4,000 to help fund the project. The NJIT Engineers Without Borders Chapter, in partnership with Engineers In Action, provided the community with PPE and covid-19 training so they could continue the project labor in NJIT’s absence. Most of the labor was performed by volunteers from the community.
“We were able to double the output of the spring, which was great for future implementation of water storage,” said Shyam Desai, the president of the Engineers Without Borders Chapter at NJIT. “The next phase would be water distribution.”
The first phase of the project was to create a cutoff wall in the spring to prevent water from seeping into the ground. The next phase will be to lay a network of pipes, storage tanks, and solar-powered water pumps that will distribute the water directly to home fossetts. For now, people must transport the water to and from the spring by foot, using buckets. According to Wilmer Santacruz, project coordinator for Engineers In Action, the community has started to create some piping, but are still in much need of help as the piping materials used is generally for water irrigation rather than drinking water.
"This grounds you in what hard engineering work entails. It’s not always sunny or very easy." - David Rogriguez
“This community has been waiting for this for a long time,” said Santacruz. “A lot of local authorities have been promising to build the project, but then resources disappear.”
The most valuable resource the students contributed was their time and engineering know-how, but they also fundraised $4,000 to fund their trip to Ecuador in 2019, then another round to help fund materials and personal protective equipment.
“It took us almost five years to come together to provide a spring cap. I had an idealized vision of what the work would be,” said David Rodriguez. “This grounds you in what hard engineering work entails. It’s not always sunny or very easy. It’s a lot of hard work. Dealing with compromise and issues that come up.”
“Gaining real technical skills and using what you learn in the classroom, prior to an internship or to an actual job, is really critical,” said Desai. “I saw our fellow members gain a lot from this opportunity. They can apply their knowledge to benefit others. It also really helped their career path in getting a job and developing their skills, whether that be in 3D design or in learning more about civil engineering and implementation.”
“I was very much touched by the number of people who participated in this project,” said Jay Meegoda. “Any project we do would not be possible without the help of our students and fundraising.”
Fingers crossed, important projects like these can ramp up again as global covid rates decline and restrictions are lifted.
“This project goes deeper than pipes,” said Wilmer Santacruz, who is Ecuadorian with indigenous relations. “When you have the opportunity to participate in these kinds of projects, you get to know very valuable people like the NJIT team. We’re very lucky to have them working in our country. The students always want to learn more.”
“With this kind of project, all your work is directly for a community and they will be the beneficiary,” said Santacruz. “So, we’re making a difference.”