Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: A Green Mind: A Sustainable, Smart Growth Plan for Muramba, Rwanda

EPA Grant Number: SU832509
Title: A Green Mind: A Sustainable, Smart Growth Plan for Muramba, Rwanda
Investigators: Amadei, Bernard , Herbert, Aliea , de l’Armeé, Avenue , Muzaffar, Burhan , Kelly, Charlie , Hageman, Clarissa , Odell, Darby , Goluskin, David , Thomas, Evan , Elliott, Iain , Boulden, James , Jannetto, Johnny , Streifel, Karin , Beggs, Kate , Gold, Maximilian , VanSciver, Meg , Benson, Mitchell , Parish, Muramba , Kalinic, Niko , Barry, Patrick , Levy, Sari
Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder , Engineers Without Borders-USA
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: October 17, 2005 through May 30, 2006
Project Amount: $9,996
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2005) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

Developing “A Green Mind: A Sustainable, Smart Growth Plan for Muramba, Rwanda” is a complex task. Two Engineers Without Borders-USA visits of Muramba in May 2005 and January 2006, partially funded by the EPA P3 Phase I grant, were designed to directly address the community’s water and energy needs.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

Rainwater Catchments
In March 2004, the first visit of Engineers Without Border (EWB)-USA to Muramba determined that sustainable solutions to the water quality and quantity problems in Muramba must include measures to diversify the current water portfolio. The area relies almost solely on one network of streams for water. The collection of rainwater, or rainwater catchment, is one means by which an additional source of water can be secured at a relatively low cost. In countries such as Rwanda that receive large amounts of rainfall (>900 mm/yr), rainwater catchment can yield significant amounts of water.

In May 2005, two 6,000 liter tank and gutter systems were installed on a dormitory building and the cafeteria. This installation was based on the availability of storage tanks, budget constraints, rainfall data, and rainwater catchment potential at the Muramba College. These two 6,000 liter tanks will be replenished with water frequently throughout the year. The calculations on how much actual storage capacity these systems have added when considering rainfall and water use is included in this report. The total added capacity over 1 year was determined to be approximately 535,000 liters of water.

Solar Powered Lighting
Each day every person on the planet has to battle the sun as we are all forced to deal with complete darkness for approximately 8 hours a day. A small percentage of the world is fortunate enough to have numerous solutions to this problem available at their finger tips. Like many modern comforts readily available in the developed world, reliable and sufficient lighting often is taken for granted.

In January 2006, the EWB-USA team returned to Muramba to address the basic energy and lighting needs of the community. Partially funded by the EPA P3 Phase I grant, the team was able to install two separate photovoltaic lighting systems in the community. At the Muramba College cafeteria and the Muramba clinic, the team and community installed a 102-watt solar panel and associated charge controller as well as a 200 amp-hour truck battery to power five 13 watt compact fluorescent lights that are as bright as a traditional 65 watt incandescent bulb.

Conclusions:

Rainwater Catchments
These systems immediately provided a source of presumably cleaner water than the current system, while the prominent installation locations have the potential to influence the adoption of similar catchment systems in the region. From our calculations, the installed system of 12,000 liters will provide around 535,000 liters of water in the first year, or enough water for approximately 60 people at WHO standards.

The rainwater catchment system pilot study gave the team extensive experience in developing appropriate and sustainable water catchment systems, while working with the Muramba community. The project balanced environmental concerns with helping people to obtain additional water supplies to prosper in their everyday activities. Rainwater catchment has applications within the developing world to supply water to communities where there is only an intermittent water supply or where water transportation is difficult. The design is easier and less expensive than extensive piping systems and provides clean water compared to surface water. Additional water leads to improved hygiene during the dry season and has provided them with a cleaner water alternative to the tap water.

Solar Powered Lighting
Upon the team’s arrival, the patient room at the Muramba clinic had no lighting and was not being occupied by any patients. The lighting system at the clinic has created a safer environment for babies to be introduced into the world, and allows mothers to clearly see their babies’ faces for the first time. Because the team was visiting Muramba during a summer holiday for the girls’ college, the team was unable to see the girls studying at night; however, the head mistress at the college believes that adequate lighting in conjunction with a reliable water source will increase the exam pass rate from 35% to at least 50%.

The installation at the clinic took place under the watchful eyes of many citizens of Muramba. These community members were very enthusiastic and stayed with us well into the evening to ensure the job was completed. The developing world is making strides in the turn to renewable energy, and is catching the attention of the developed world by proving that these systems are a legitimate and reliable alternative to standard power production.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 4 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

water, drinking water, precipitation, children, race, ethnic groups, pathogens, viruses, bacteria, dissolved solids, sustainable development, renewable, community-based, socio-economic, health benefits, water quality, water quantity, citizen participation, environmental engineering, civil engineering, sustainable environment, environmental education, solar energy, lighting, Sustainable Industry/Business, RFA, Scientific Discipline, POLLUTION PREVENTION, Geographic Area, Technology for Sustainable Environment, International, Sustainable Environment, Urban and Regional Planning, waste reduction, Environmental Engineering, green building design, holistic design, waste minimization, drinking water, sustainable urban redevelopment, green design, ecological design, sustainable development, collaborative urban planning, Rawanda, environmentally conscious design, pollution prevention design, architectual design, environmental conscious construction, alternative building technology

Relevant Websites:

http://www.ewb-usa.org/ Exit