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Resources
News
Stories and Articles
Read about what engineers do in the developing world while serving
as Peace Corps volunteers.
References
- Mihelcic,
JR "Educating Tomorrow's Global Engineer through a Unique Partnership
with the U.S. Peace Corps," Woman Engineer, 30-33, Fall, 2004.
- Mihelcic,
JR, "Educating the Future's Water Professional, Water Environment
Technology, 16(9): 86-92, 2004
- Mihelcic,
JR, JC Crittenden, MJ Small, DR Shonnard, DR Hokanson, Q Zhang,
H Chen, SA Sorby, VU James, JW Sutherland, JL Schnoor, "Sustainability
Science and Engineering: Emergence of a New Metadiscipline," Environmental
Science & Technology, 37(23), 5314-5324, 2003.
- Orr, BD,
JR Mihelcic, TJ Van Dam, "Engineering Help while Getting a Degree,"
IEEE Potentials, 22(2):32-34, 2003
Research
Reports
- A
Water Supply and Sanitation Study of the Village of Gouansolo
in MaliI, West Africa; Andrea Telmo, August
2002;
This report provides
an overview of water supply and sanitation coverage in Mali, West
Africa and then assesses the current coverage in a rural village
in southwestern Mali. Other information provided is related to surveys
and interviews and economic analysis.
Review
Abstract (PDF File)
Complete report (2.9 Mb PDF
File)
- Design
of Potable Water Supply Systems in Rural Honduras
Nathan W. Reents,
June 2003;
This report provides
information required to design a gravity flow potable water supply
system in the developing world. The Technical information provided
includes drawings, design equations, and several Excel spreadsheet
programs to facilitate the design process. Additional information
is provided on topics related to water quality and Honduran law
concerning water projects.
Review
Abstract (PDF File)
Review
Complete Document (11 Mb PDF File)
Obtain Design
Software described in this Report
- The
Design, Construction, and Maintenance of a Gravity-fed Water System
in the Dominican Republic;
Matthew A.
Niskanen, June 2003;
This report provides detailed information and photos related to
the construction of a water transmission system in the developing
world. The system includes a spring box, break pressure tanks,
10,000-gallon storage tank, and 4.8-km transmission line. Report
also describes other aspects of a sustainable project including
formation of water committee, economics, and education/training
to support usage and maintenance of the project.
Review
Abstract
Complete
Report (7.8 Mb PDF File)
- Technical
Capacity Building of Existing Gravity Fed Rural Drinking Water
Systems in Honduras, John D. Simpson, December 2003.
This report demonstrates the engineering requirements for building
capacity to existing drinking water systems that no longer deliver
the desired quantity of water to a community. This process starts
with troubleshooting a system to diagnose the problems and then
finding an economical solution to rectify the problems identified.
The scope of this report analyzes methods to pinpoint where problems
are located in a system and methods which can be employed to build
capacity to existing systems by using the existing components
of a water system when possible. This report draws upon the author’s
two years service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Choluteca, Honduras,
while working for a variety of organizations to design, construct,
and repair water supply systems.
Review Abstract
(PDF File)
Complete
Report (904 kB File)
- Water
Treatment and Supply in Kayes, Mali, West Africa: Treatment Processes,
Operations, and Economics, Chris Vaught, December, 2003.
A high quality and sufficient water supply is essential to human
health, but is often missing in life in West Africa. In Mali,
only 65% of the population has access to improved drinking water
sources (CIDA, 2002). The objective of this report is to detail
the Treatment Processes, Operations and Economics of Kayes' (Mali)
Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Supply. An economic survey
provides revealing information about the state of water supply
in Kayes, Mali. The average monthly water usage for a household
size of 5 to 10 people was estimated to be 300 liters per day.
This value increased to 1,100 liters per day for a household of
greater than 25 individuals. The results of the survey also suggested
that households are paying on average 23% of their monthly income
for water.
Review
Abstract (PDF File)
Complete
Report (1.24 Mb PDF File)
- Spring
Improvement as a Tool for Prevention of Water-Related Illness
in Four Villages of the Center Province of Cameroon,
Lauren Fry, August, 2004. Worldwide, diarrhea kills about 2.2
million people annually, most of whom are under the age of five.
In Cameroon, as in much of the developing world, a major cause
of diarrhea is the lack of improved water sources. Although water
is plentiful in the southern regions of Cameroon, water quality
is poor in rural areas, where water is rarely protected. This
paper covers four spring improvement projects serving a total
of 1,306 residents in four villages, conducted during two years
of Peace Corps service in the Center Province of Cameroon. Projects
involved needs analysis, education in project design and management,
hygiene education, construction of springboxes, and continuing
evaluation. By conducting a complete yearlong health survey in
two villages, the link between water projects and public health
in the community was also studied. The study showed that springboxes
are a cost-effective way to bring a simple, durable technology
for providing improved water quality to small villages. The springbox
construction projects were determined to have a positive impact
on the health of the communities one year after construction,
determined by the average number of days a person suffers from
diarrhea. One year after construction, two communities saw a significant
(within 90% and 99.5% confidence levels) decrease in the number
of days a person spent with diarrhea per month. The number of
days a person spent with diarrhea per month decreased by 31% in
one village and by 62% in another.
Review Abstract
(PDF File)
Complete Report
(1.86 Mb PDF File)
- Technical,
Organizational, and Social Challenges of Project Development in
Rural Latin America: A Honduran Case Study, Doug Messenger,
August, 2004.
Developing a rural infrastructure project in a developing country
involves
much work beyond the technical aspects of the project. Understanding
and
knowledge of the community is essential for long-term success
of a drinking
water system. This report uses the author's personal experience
in a
Honduran village to provide a case study, illustrating the necessity
of
collecting social and technical information before embarking on
extensive
topographic surveys and hydraulic design work.
A development
agency needs to recognize the implicit power relationship
implied in giving aid. Once this unequal balance of power is accepted,
the
agent should use care and discretion to listen to the community
members'
wants and needs and to guide them in choices and responsibilities
for
operation and maintenance of a water system. This is assuming
a common
goal of better health and improved economic status of the community
Review Abstract
(PDF File)
Complete Report (1.6
Mb PDF File)
- A
Comparison of Wash Area and Soak Pit Construction: The Changing
Nature of Urban, Rural, and Peri-Urban Linkages in Sikasso, Mali,
, Brooke T. Ahrens, February, 2005.
Mali is a developing country with large water supply and sanitation
needs and constraints. My Peace Corps service from August 2002
through October 2004 focused on improving the health of Malians
through improved sanitation with the construction of wash areas
and soak pits and hygiene education. While living in Sikasso amongst
its 150,000 residents, I learned how cultural and non-technical
constraints affected sanitation improvements. Wash area and soak
pit project implementation may involve a variety of people and
factors, each influenced by their geographic locations: urban,
rural, or peri-urban. By having the opportunity to work at all
three locations with residents, government workers, business owners,
women, and youth, the implementation differences became apparent.
These locations have different geographic, socio-economic, organizational,
and political factors that contribute to the policy makers, private
sector, and beneficiary roles. In this report, the relationship
between geographic location, project implementation process, and
ten factors were analyzed. In the urban case study, major influential
factors included the presence of aid money, education, and concentration
of pollution. The greater part of the urban project is carried
out by the policy makers, indicating a “top-down” approach to
development. In the rural case study, the major influential factors
were the presence of aid money, decentralization, and the mobility
of people. In contrast, the beneficiaries take the larger role
of project facilitation in a more “bottom-up” method. Like the
rural setting, the peri-urban case study also indicated a “bottom-up”
approach to work affected by factors, such as ownership of property,
the standards and costs of living, and education. In addition
to policy makers, private sector, and beneficiary roles and relationships,
manual of practice and funding is also discussed in the context
of implementation of sanitation engineering projects.
Review Abstract
(PDF File)
Complete Report
(1 Mb PDF File)
- Compost
Latrines in Rural Panama: Design, Construction and Evaluation
of Pathogen Removal, Daniel Hurtado, March, 2005
Access to proper sanitation is a basic step towards sustainable
development, and crucial to the health of any community. Due to
the high water table and copious amount of rainfall found in many
coastal areas, standard ventilated improved pit latrines may not
be a feasible technology for sanitation problems in the developing
world. Because the compost latrine described in this report is
constructed above ground with a concrete base, it is feasible
for any waterlogged or high-water-table area. This report provides
the development worker, who believes compost latrines can be a
solution to sanitation problems, with knowledge to successfully
implement a compost latrine project. Detailed instruction on the
design and construction of a double vault compost latrine is provided,
the various mechanisms responsible for pathogen removal in a compost
latrine are described in detail, and these mechanisms are incorporated
into recommended operational procedures that can then effectively
reduce the concentration of fecal pathogens in composted human
manure, while producing a nutrient-rich fertilizer.
Review
Abstract
(PDF File)
Complete
Report (6.5 Mb PDF File)
- A Sanitation
Plan for a Fishing Village in Jamaica that Incorporates Evapotranspiration
Bed Technology; Kelly Stanforth, April, 2005.
Review
Abstract
Complete Report (6.8 Mb PDF File)
- Evaluation
of Septic Tank and Subsurface Wetland for Jamaican Public School
Wastewater Treatment,
Ed Stewart, 2005
Review
Abstract
Complete
Report (1.6 Mb PDF File)
-
An Analysis of the Use of Desiccant as a Method of Pathogen Removal in Compost Latrines in Rural Panama, Josephine Kaiser, November 2006.
Review Abstract
Complete Report (1.2 Mb PDF File)
- An Analysis of the Relationship Between Water Accessibility, Use and Health in Muthara, Kenya, Paul M. Kennedy, November 2006.
Review Abstract
Complete Report (1.2 Mb PDF File)
Technical
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