A family in the Tadazna community of rural Nicaragua that will benefit from the
efforts of CCNY’s Engineers Without Borders student chapter to increase water supply.
The City College of New York student chapter of Engineers without Borders’ (EWB-USA CCNY) latest initiative is a water access project to benefit a rural community in Siuna, Nicaragua. Currently, 46 percent of the Tadazna community or approximately 370 people, lack access to drinking water.
The project adopted by the chapter entails the construction of six groundwater wells in the locality. Each well is intended to support approximately one to five families. The design of the wells will allow for clean and safe water for daily use and consumption, decreasing the risk of contamination and disease.
While certain sectors of Tadazna have access to a municipal potable water system, the rural landscape and sprawling community leave 46 percent of its population without easy access to water. Many residents often resort to collecting untreated and unhygienic water from unsanitary sources.
Five EWB-USA CCNY chapter members and a mentor, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering Michael Piasecki, will travel to Tadazna this April on an assessment trip. The most important aspect of the trip will be building a genuine relationship with the community and understanding the culture there.
The technical objectives of the assessment will focus on data-collection such as water quality and land surveys, which will later be used in the engineering design process.
The Tadazna Project team comprises students from a range of engineering and science disciplines.
In addition to Piasecki, another Grove School of Engineering faculty member, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering Beth Wittig, will advise the team.
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