FUNDACION ACCION COMUNITARIA F U N D A C O...Family gardens: in this practice they grow tomatoes, chiltoma, ayote, pipián and watermelon. Small businesses: they sell goods for consumption

FUNDACION ACCION COMUNITARIA

F U N D A C C O

Una Luz de Esperanza para el Cambio

(This document is a translation of the submission made by FUNDACCO)

Page 1 of 10

Project Name: Somotillo Region Five Water Well and Distribution Project

For Rural Communities:

Las Mesitas – Sector Casa Blanca, El Danto

Las Pilas ‐ Sectors I and II, El Papalón and La Danta

Direct beneficiaries: 1,069 people ‐ 258 families

Managua, January 2019


F U N D A C C O



Page 2 of 10

Project Description

The Somotillo Region Five Water Well and Distribution Project will see the installation of five new water wells in communities where existing wells are no longer producing during the dry season or there is insufficient capacity to supply the village. The project will include an elevated storage tank, electric well pump and water distribution piping in each home in the communities.

Project objectives:

Guarantee the use of quality water in each of the 5 communities by:

o Phase 1 ‐ Drilling of a well in an area where the underground source is not contaminated.

o Phase II ‐ Installation of water distribution network piping to homes in the community.

Provide access to drinking water for family use, thereby avoiding the use and intake of contaminated water.

Facilitate housework for housewives by eliminating the need to transport the vital liquid distances of between 260 and 500 meters from their home to the newly installed well.

Contribute to the eradication of intestinal and epidermal infections.

Promote community work through active participation in the execution of the project.

Eliminate the need to transport daily water long distances from the neighboring community


F U N D A C C O



Page 3 of 10

Project Justification

The Dry Corridor of Nicaragua covers a large part of west central Nicaragua and is located in the departments of León and Chinandega. Of the 153 municipalities in the country, 33 are located in this Dry Corridor area, with Somotillo and Villanueva being part of them.

The inhabitants of these municipalities suffer the most from climate change. The current atmospheric conditions cause droughts that affect the crops and the living conditions of the inhabitants.

Water in these communities is sourced from underground aquifers that are not being replenished to normal levels during the rainy season. Deforestation and longer dry seasons are contributing factors that cause shallow hand dug wells to dry up forcing people to walk to a neighboring community for their daily water.

It was the abundance of water from these shallow wells that created these small communities which have existed for generations. With the change in global weather patterns these wells are drying up and causing people to migrate in search for new sources – an impossible task for people who don’t have the means.

Today people have been forced to dig small wells on the banks of streams or ravines to obtain water that will be used for family consumption. This exposes them to infections from ingesting


F U N D A C C O



Page 4 of 10

water that may be contaminated. There has been a noticeable rise in water related infections for people in these communities.

Shallow poorly designed wells are also subjected to contamination during flash floods which renders them useless for human consumption.

Another consequence of the changing times are that children remain home from school during the dry season to help their families transport water from a neighboring community. This is not easy task in the hilly rugged north of the country.


F U N D A C C O



Page 5 of 10

The benefit this project will have in these communities is huge. To have a tap that delivers fresh drinkable water next to each home is a dream that many people thought they would never see in their life time.

Parched conditions in the Las Mesitas community

Current water conditions:

Existing water wells in communities that will benefit from this project come in two basic styles; hand dug or drilled wells.

Hand dug wells are shallow and subject to contamination during the rainy season due to flooding. Many are on private property and don’t necessarily supply the general population although during the dry season people do share this precious resource if they can.

Drilled wells are community wells and are considerably deeper and water is stored in fractured rock that has limited storage capability.

Las Mesitas: 184 people ‐ 44 families

There are no deep drilled wells in this community with only two wells that have been dug by hand. In summer, one well dries up and the other is left to supply the population of the community which does not produce a sufficient supply


F U N D A C C O



Page 6 of 10

El Danto: 205 people ‐ 47 families

There are two drilled wells in this community, one located in the main square of the village and the other at the community school. Neither of these wells have the capacity during the summer to supply sufficient water to the community.

El Papalón: 234 people ‐ 49 families

This community also does not have any drilled wells only shallow wells that have been dug by hand. Like the other communities, in summer they dry up and people have to walk to the neighboring community to get their water.

La Danta: 161 people ‐ 46 families

The inhabitants of this community only have hand dug wells and these dry in summer time.

Las Pillas ‐ Sectors I and II: 285 people ‐ 72 families

There is one drilled well that does not have the capacity to supply water to all homes mainly due to population growth.

About the Communities

Detail of the age ranges of the population according to census results:

Community

Children 0 to 13 years old

Youth

14 to 17 years old

Adults

18 to 59 years old

Adults

60 +

years old

Totals

M F M F M F M F

Las Mesitas – Sector Casa Blanca 31 27 10 7 51 46 4 8 184

El Danto 30 35 7 6 64 49 6 8 205

Las Pilas – Sectores I y II 38 39 17 17 74 64 21 15 285

El Papalón 31 34 11 9 63 65 10 11 234

La Danta 16 11 6 6 58 44 11 9 161

Totals 146 146 51 45 310 268 52 51 1,069


F U N D A C C O



Page 7 of 10

Economic Activity: The municipalities are particularly involved in agriculture and raising of livestock.

They grow corn, beans, sesame, wheat and sorghum million (variety of sorghum), for family consumption; the surplus is marketed on a small scale.

Breeding of cattle of Creole origin occurs on a small scale due to lack of technology.

In these areas not all producers have their own land to carry out agricultural practices. Some rent plots to work and produce basic products for family consumption, and the surplus if any is brought to the local market.

Housewives perform the following work:

Raising of pigs and yard birds (chicken and ducks), production is intended for family consumption

Family gardens: in this practice they grow tomatoes, chiltoma, ayote, pipián and watermelon.

Small businesses: they sell goods for consumption in the home that are not produced in the communities (rice, oil, sugar, sanitary paper, etc.)

Project Details

Legality of the properties:

The lands where the wells will be drilled and the water receiving tanks installed will be donated

by the inhabitants of these lands and will be registered in their respective municipal

governments.

The community will accompany the donors of the land to meet with the municipal authorities

to carry out the legal procedures. These parcels of land are to be recognized as "property of

the community."

Hydrological Data:

The zone presents typical characteristics of tertiary geological formations and the stratigraphy is

formed by layers of different semi compressed rock with layers that are very compressed,

fractured, and unstable. The aquifer is composed of fractures with normally low transmissivities.


F U N D A C C O



Page 8 of 10

The performance of the aquifer will depend on the transmissibility of the formations found during

drilling.

New Well Construction Overview:

Depth: 200 feet

Hole: 10" diameter

Pumping test: Pumping tests will be performed for a period of 8 hours to check the

performance of the well. The test will be made with pumping equipment and a power

plant provided by the well contractor.

Well Lining: PVC pipe SDR 26 ‐ 6 " diameter, blind type and slotted in the area of

productive aquifer.

Gravel filter: River gravel or pebbles will be placed in the space between the pipelining

and the hole.

Sanitary Seal: To avoid contamination of the inside of the well with surface and residual

waters, a sanitary seal will be built in a length of 20' ending in the concrete base.

Concrete base: Concrete base of 2' x 2' x 1.5' will be built to support the pumping

equipment that will be installed.

Water Distribution and Piping

The needs for distribution in these communities are different. Some locations have a high hill in a convenient location where the distribution tank can be placed while others require the construction of a tower to raise the tank in order to provide sufficient water pressure to community homes.

Other than the location of the tank, each community will receive a distribution network of piping to homes with a water tap next to the residence, an electric well pump to supply water to the storage tank and electric service to the well location.

All the manual labor to dig trenching for the underground piping will be done by community members as well as the construction of the water towers.


F U N D A C C O



Page 9 of 10

Impact

The execution of this project will have the following impact:

Improvement in the quality of life of the inhabitants through the use of water suitable for human consumption.

Eradication of intestinal and skin infections, which are usually caused by ingestion or contact with contaminated water.

Improvement of health conditions of housewives and children by eliminating the need to carry cans of water on their heads and shoulders long distances to their homes.

Increased attendance of children and young people to study centers

Expected results

1,069 people represented in 258 families, consuming quality water.

Improved health for women, youth and children.

Improved use of time in productive, educational and household activities.

Organized communities taking care of the water systems received.

Water Committees in each community working actively in the rational use of the vital liquid, supported by the community, guaranteeing the good functioning and sustainability of the project.

Commitments of the inhabitants of the community

Active participation of families in the execution of the project in its three stages:

o Before: It is the process of organization of the inhabitants of the communities to carry out the work that is required for the project.

o During: Time when the beneficiaries carry out community work, actively participating in the execution of the project in the different tasks required.


F U N D A C C O



Page 10 of 10

o After: Once the project is finished, the beneficiaries maintain the water systems received through the Water Committees of each community.

Create the Water Committee for the organization, direction and administration of the project.

Present legal documents of the areas where the community wells will be located, which will be the source that will provide the vital liquid to the population including the location of the water receiving tanks.

Community members will pay a fee that will allow them to assume expenses of electric power, maintenance of the pump, the water receiver tank and repair of the water distribution network, if warranted.

Beneficiaries will efficiently manage the project after it is completed.

Lic. María Araica S.

Coordinadora de Proyectos

FUNDACCO

Documents

FUNDACION ACCION COMUNITARIA F U N D A C O...Family gardens: in this practice they grow tomatoes, chiltoma, ayote, pipián and watermelon. Small businesses: they sell goods for consumption