Engineers Without Borders Returns from India with Results

The team of CETA and high-school students and professionals who traveled to Abheypur to assess and extend the work they did last January has returned and reports exciting results. In addition to installing a pipeline from the new water storage system to a part of the village that did not have access to clean water and moving the solar panels that power the water pumps to a different roof (to minimize problems with monkeys and peacocks), the team constructed a new solar panel support, replacing the original structure, which had failed. They also corrected some minor leaks from defective valves.

In an exciting development, the assessment team, led by Marcia Hughes, assistant director of the University’s Center for Social Research, reports that attendance and grades at the girls’ primary school have improved significantly as a result of having water available. In the past, the girls went home when they became thirsty and did not return to school. Now they stay for the duration of classes.

The team has also learned that water is still a key issue for many residents of Abheypur. Making sure that their families have enough water available for their needs is not only tiring for women but also stressful because water is a problem they face every day. Further, even families who can afford a private well must find water when electricity is unavailable for long periods of time since water storage is limited to their storage vessels. An NGO works in the village organizing women’s self-help groups to improve economic conditions, but their effectiveness is necessarily limited until these water issues can be resolved.

Consequently, Engineers Without Borders will continue to address water issues in Abheypur. In January 2009, the team will construct a demonstration rooftop rainwater harvesting project and implement the educational campaign on cleanliness, respect, and sharing created by the Hartford Art School. The team is also planning future work on water, soak pits, and a solar-powered computer center in the common village building.

We’ll keep you posted on the projects and the team.