Location
Cabuya Arriba de Anton, Cocle, Panama
Community Description
Cabuya Arriba is a small mountain town in the district of Anton, province of Cocle. Most of the 700 community members are farmers.
The water source for Cabuya Arriba is a mountain stream at an altitude of 850 meters. The community has a gravity feed system with distribution by PVC tubing directly to the homes and school.
During the incredibly strong rains this year the streams swelled and damaged the main pipeline. Water service was knocked out in the community and the school where 105 students attend 1st-6th grade. Many people unaware of the dangers of drinking stagnant water became ill during the time it took to repair the main pipeline.
There is a cement reserve tank with a capacity of 15,000 gallons. It was constructed in 1996 by the community with the help of a former Peace Corps Volunteer.
There is a small cement dam in the creek to slow the water and cause it to pool. Some of the pooled water is diverted to the water intake which is an open-ended PVC pipe with a metal screen over it to strain out large debris. The tube then travels a mile to the reserve tank. The tubing is exposed to light and sun from the water source to the tank. Below the tank, the tube is covered about half of the time.
In the exposed locations the tube breaks down faster and ruptures more frequently. This is especially true along the creek/water source. For the distance of 200 meters, the pipeline parallels the creek. During extreme flooding when the creeks rise it runs over the pipe. If it is carrying trees and large debris the tubes are ruptured.
Project Description
This project is to bury the water line in the flood plain and replace the pipes that were damaged in the previous floods. Additional repairs will be made at the points where the pipeline crosses over other smaller creek beds, as funding allows.
The project is being implemented by the aqueduct committee, which has taken care of the tubes and tank for the past 17 years.
Most of the work will be donated by the town members.
Project funds will be used to purchase and transport piping and other critical materials, and to pay for some of the skilled labor.
Project Impact
305 people living in and attending the school in Cabuya Arriba will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Christopher Brown
Comments
This project will provide clean and safe drinking water to the homes and school for years to come. Replacing broken pipes and burying the pipeline will minimize future supply disruptions.
Dollar Amount of Project
$480.00
Donations Collected to Date
$480.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Christopher Brown of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Christopher and/or those other PCVs in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.