Location
Limoncarro, Guadalupe, La Libertad, Peru
Community Description
Limoncarro is a small coastal town in northern Peru with a population of about 5,000 people. It is primarily an agricultural community that grows mainly corn and rice crops.
Most families live in houses made of adobe bricks, with dirt floors and cook their meals with firewood. The nearby health post treats patients mainly for respiratory and intestinal problems, most likely stemming from indoor use of firewood, poor hygiene and unsafe drinking water.
The town is made up of several districts, some more impoverished than others. Almost all of the town´s inhabitants are connected to one water system, with water coming from a well. The rest of the people carry water from a nearby river.
The well allows people to have water for about 30 minutes every other day which they store in household tanks and tubs. Only about 20% of the town has a working sewage system and the rest use different types of latrines.
The well is located near the main part of town and is only protected by two small pieces of concrete used as a top that can easily be removed. The lack of a surrounding structure makes the well vulnerable to contamination from grazing animals, dirt, falling debris, and children and adults dropping objects in it. Tests by the local health post have shown the water to be contaminated.
Because there is no sanitary top or house, the electric pump used to provide the town with water is also vulnerable to damage, which would be disastrous to the community.
Project Description
This project is to protect the town well from contamination by building a protective structure around the well.
The Limoncarro Water Committee will be in charge of carrying out the construction of the protective structure around the well and the submergible electric pump, which is connected to a small pumping station that provides electricity. The system allows the water to be pumped via underground tubes to the town´s houses.
The extra space will be used to store equipment and tools needed to maintain the system. The top will be the dismountable corrugated roof, as the submersible pump must be taken out periodically for maintenance.
The water committee will hire a local workman to build the structure, and will also hire continue to pay two operators who regularly operate the well.
Water Charity funds will mainly be used to purchase bricks, cement, rebar, gravel, roofing material, and a double-door.
The community has pooled some money together to pay for skilled labor and the local municipality is helping with transportation to help with the costs.
This project is part of a larger effort in the area to make the local water systems safer and the water committees more dedicated to their responsibilities. Alongside the health post, there have been inspections of the surrounding water systems including recommendations and agreements on how to improve the systems to produce safer water. The water committees also receive training on maintenance, chlorination and administration.
Project Impact
This project will affect approximately 4,000 people who are connected to the town´s water system, including students at three schools.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Gina Gonzalez-Deloa
Comments
This is an extremely necessary infrastructure project designed to ensure the safety of the town’s water supply. This will have an impact on the health of the villagers by reducing the incidence of diarrheal and other diseases.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$555.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of the Elmo Foundation.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Gina Gonzalez-Deloa of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Gina and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.