Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Increased Drinking Water Supply Through Improved Cistern Construction in Barasa Haiti
EPA Grant Number: SU832497Title: Increased Drinking Water Supply Through Improved Cistern Construction in Barasa Haiti
Investigators: Bower, Kathleen M. , Brown, Mary L , Burnitz, Kimberly , Nance, Kyla , Jernegan, Marissa
Institution: Eastern Illinois University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 2005 through November 1, 2008
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2005) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Barasa, Haiti, is an extremely poor, isolated rural community located on the side of a mountain. Cisterns in Barasa, Haiti, are the preferred method to collect and store water for household use. Local masons build cisterns in Haiti which provides jobs for local people. The local construction may be funded through charitable organizations, such as the Haiti Connection of Charleston, Illinois. Materials used for local cistern construction are found in Haiti. Some locally built cisterns crack and water escapes. When cisterns crack, people no longer have easy year-round access to water. Development of simple and economical solutions to help prevent cistern cracking or repair cisterns so water is held after cracking, would benefit many organizations, communities, and those who are water-poor in Haiti and other developing countries.
The methods chosen for constructing or repairing cisterns must be economically feasible for Haitians, be easy to apply by uneducated and untrained masons, use material readily available and economical in Haiti, be safe, and be culturally acceptable to Haitians. The solution to cracking cisterns in Haiti includes two possible methods. First, improvement of construction methods and materials used for cisterns in Haiti may prevent cracking. It was determined that addition of cheap dried fibers from sisal, a native plant in Haiti, increased compressive strength in concrete. Longer curing times under moist conditions increase mortar strength in cisterns. These methods are both inexpensive, easy to use, and utilize readily available materials in Barasa, Haiti. The Eastern Illinois University students tested these methods in the lab for effectiveness and ease of application. The two most promising methods were communicated with Haitian masons via interaction with members of the Haiti Connection. Haitian masons constructed 10 cisterns using the two methods in Barasa, Haiti. These cisterns will be observed to determine their durability.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Haitian people face daily threat of not being able to obtain water for everyday uses. Haitians do not have the luxury of turning on a faucet to get a glass of clean drinking water or taking a hot shower. Only 41% of the rural population has reasonable access to drinking water sources. In rural areas reasonable access could be further than 200 meters depending on topography and other environmental factors (Health Analysis, accessed 2004). No matter where Haitians live, part of their day will be spent walking great distances in search of water. This lack of access to water is a serious problem in Haiti and in many other parts of the developing world. In order to help rural Haitians in their daily routine of finding water, cisterns have been installed. The Haiti Connection, composed of students of Eastern Illinois University, has been working with community members in rural Barasa, Haiti to improve drinking water availability including funding cistern installation at $1141 each. In Barasa, cisterns are the preferred way to collect water. Eastern Illinois University students work to finance ten cisterns every future year. New cisterns are located right next to family homes. A cistern collects fresh water during the rainy season for use throughout the dry season. The longest rainy season is from April to July, with a shorter rainy season from September to November. During the rainy seasons Haitians receive enough water to fill cisterns with water to live on for the year. In theory, cisterns could be entirely sustainable because they keep the community’s water supply secure. Water from the cisterns is purified and used for cooking and drinking. On average a typical Haitian will use seven liters of water a day. Since the water supply is located right next to the family’s home its saves people, mostly women and young girls, the back-breaking work of carrying 5-gallon buckets of water on their heads for long distances.
The Haiti Connection also funds simple water filtration systems that Haitians are already using. The filtration system is very low-tech; consisting of two commercial recycled buckets, cotton fibers, charcoal, and daily addition of bleach drops. The filtration system removes almost all water borne pathogens; preventing Diarrhea, Hepatitis A, and Typhoid. A family that has a cistern is able to consume clean safe drinking water year round. The filtration system was designed by Phil Warwick through an organization called Gift of Water (Warwick, 2004, Lahnam, 2004).
Cisterns in Haiti are typically square with dimensions 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet. The cisterns are built below ground with typically 1 to 3 feet exposed above ground. On the top of the cistern is a tin roof to reduce evaporation. Rainwater hits nearby building roofs and is funneled by gutters into the cistern. The tin roof on the top of the cistern is slanted at an angle to allow additional rainwater to collect and funnel into the cistern. The cistern can hold approximately seventy-five hundred gallons. Local masons build cisterns in Haiti providing jobs for local people. All material used for the cistern are native to Haiti.
Many different organizations feel that cistern construction is of value in helping people to improve living conditions because it is sustainable. However, concrete cisterns in developing countries, especially Caribbean countries such as the Dominican Republic and Haiti, tend to crack after 3-5 years. The cracks are usually five to six inches long and form inside the cistern.
Conclusions:
Information was collected on cistern construction in Haiti and on recommended construction methods for cisterns. Students researched methods for preventing or correcting cracking of cisterns, particularly as applied to Barasa, Haiti. Interacting with members of the Haiti Connection, potential solutions were investigated to identify those likely to be acceptable and used by community members of Barasa, Haiti. Criteria used in selecting acceptable solutions included success in preventing or correcting cracking, cost, availability of materials in Haiti, ease of use, and cultural acceptability. Methods were selected for improved construction or cistern repair that would likely be the most feasible in Barasa, Haiti.
Some selected methods were tested at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois for effectiveness and ease of application. The most promising methods for introduction to the Barasa, Haiti community were selected.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 4 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
drinking water, conservation, water resources, community based, aggregate, Haiti, developing country, cistern, limestone, potable water, sisal, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Geographic Area, Sustainable Industry/Business, Sustainable Environment, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Ecology and Ecosystems, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Engineering, International, sustainable water use, urban planning, environmental sustainability, recovery, drinking water, conservation, cost benefit, sustainable urban environment, resource recovery, water conservation, rainfall harvesting, environmental cost analysis, environmental education, renewable resourceProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.