This project has been completed under the direction of Tamara Brennan and Sexto Sol.
To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.Tamara reports:
We are pleased to report that the Cipresal project was completed in early May, 2015. This is the report of how the work progressed.The plan for the project was done during a meeting in the community between the local committee in charge of the water for the village and Francisco Barrios and Tamara Brennan from the Sexto Sol Center. Together we adjusted the original idea they had and came up with a more feasible plan for laying down a hose from the river and bringing the water to a new water tank that we would build.A challenging aspect of this project was delivering the materials over the rough dirt road that winds over a high ridge with impressive drop-offs into deep canyons below. The work began with the delivery of the very large rolls of polyducto hose. The men from the community worked for several days to put the hose in place with the water coming with good pressure. Francisco Barrios designed and built an innovative filter and suction device that was put on the uptake end of the hose to prevent debris from entering into the line. It works very well to pull in more water while preventing air from getting in.The construction of the large holding tank began next with the delivery of the rock, gravel, sand and cement to the community. With Water Charity funds, Sexto Sol hired a stonemason to oversee the construction while the men from Cipresal provided the labor over many weeks of work. The tank measures 4 meters by 4 meters and provides a substantial amount of storage. We made sure that it was constructed to withstand earthquakes and provide service for many decades into the future. The community provided the wood needed to frame the roof for the tank and Sexto Sol delivered the corrugated metal sheeting. This completed the construction of a very strong holding tank. We also replaced and repaired damaged valves and floaters to insure that the distribution of the water to all houses will now work automatically. Water is now available for sanitation at the school in the community.
The work required that we make frequent trips to oversee the construction of the tank. We also worked with the women to suggest ways they can better manage their use of the water and use greywater to water food plants.In April, Averill Strasser and Beverly Rouse of Water Charity visited Cipresal and were able to see the progress made at that point and the impact this project has for villagers in such a remote location. Everyone is delighted that their water needs have been met and they send their gratitude to all have made this significant improvement possible for their village.
On behalf of Water Charity and the National Peace Corps Association, we would like to thank Tamara once again for executing such a fine project, and we would also like to thank the fine people of Cipresal and the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. We are grateful to Michael and Carla Boyle for providing the funding.
