Ponta Baixa Ferro-Cement Tank and Rainwater Catchment Project – Brazil

This project is to build a rainwater catchment and storage system in Ponta Baixa Village, Itiúba City, Bahia, Brazil.

Itiúba is a town of about 10,000 people in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.

Ponta Baixa has 120 families, comprised of 630 inhabitants. It suffers from a lack of an adequate water supply, especially during the dry season.

The project will be implemented by Instituto Diamante Verde (IDV) under the direction of Rosângela Araújo, Vice President. Rosangela previously completed the Gregorio Ferro-Cement Tank and Rainwater Catchment Project – Brazil.

IDV is an active nonprofit in the region, having completed a total of 3 rainwater catchment systems. In addition, they have engaged in a number of environmental, social service, and cultural programs. They also participated in the construction of a school, improvement in the road that gives access to the village, and a new health post.

The project will take place at the Colegio Estadual José Francisco dos Santos. Rainwater will be collected from the school roof, by way of a system of gutters, transported by PVC pipe, and stored in a new ferro-cement tank with a capacity of 40,000 liters. The design also allows for the tank be filled from water trucks when necessary.

A master builder, with experience in this tank technology, will supervise the construction. The residents of the community will provide the labor.

The area for the tank will be cleared, and an iron structure erected. Pre-molded concrete blocks will be fabricated, fitted, and cemented in place. Additional layers of cement will seal and finish the tank. The tank will take about ten days to complete.

Water Charity funds will be used to purchase the materials, including cement, sand, rebar, sealant, pipe, fittings and fixtures, wire, zinc sheeting, and wood. The money will also be used to pay for the skilled labor.

The remainder of the funds will be contributed by IDV, which has already raised about $1,000 for the project.

The water will be used for drinking and cooking at the school. For safety, it will be treated with sodium hypochlorite, provided by the municipality

The project will benefit all of the families of Ponta Baixa, most directly those that have children at the school and those that live in the houses nearby.

To see additional pictures and information about the project, CLICK HERE.

This project has been fully funded through the generosity of the Paul Bechtner Foundation.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.