Ten years after civil wars and genocides tore Rwanda apart, the country continues to face serious issues with unclean water. Through a service project in Rwanda, the UW-Madison chapter of Engineers Without Borders helps to improve the situation by creating a sustainable clean-water supply for the village of Muramba.
UW-Madison seniors Tim Miller and Evan Parks, project managers for the Rwanda project, went to Muramba for two weeks last July to assess the site and decide upon the most pertinent water problems to solve.
\The main issue this community has is they don't have enough water in the dry season,"" Miller said. ""It's our belief that water is the most critical need for survival, and in trying to meet their water needs, we're hoping they can continue to evolve into a community that has able-bodied children and able-bodied individuals that can participate in school and move beyond their current level of poverty.""
The organization has planned a month-long trip back to Muramba next summer, where it will work to implement some of the ideas generated after its first trip.
""There's a large number of people and the water's contaminated with E. coli,"" Parks said. ""We tried to identify the sources of contamination and look to that and propose solutions of how to reduce that contamination. We're trying to introduce a new technology called solar pasteurization that uses the sun to heat up the water and kill the bacteria.""
Parks said the group will also work on adding new water supplies and fixing the current problem of broken or leaking faucets.
""We found out they didn't have working faucets,"" he said. ""So we're going to try to design a valve system or faucet that's very cheap and can be built in Rwanda by the Rwandans so it's sustainable in that regard.""
Peter Bosscher, UW-Madison professor of civil and environmental engineering and geological engineering, began the project in 2002 and acts as advisor to the group. He said the students' work is mutually beneficial for the engineers and the Rwandans.
""It's an issue of challenging them as well as giving them exposure to conditions in an international setting that, I think, are important for the future of our planet,"" Bosscher said.
The Murambans use about seven liters of water each day for all of their drinking, cooking and washing needs, which is about the amount of water in one toilet flush. Miller said he felt very aware of American luxuries after returning.
""Coming back was hard,"" he said. ""Every time I'd turn on the shower or faucet I would think about it ... I feel I have an obligation and responsibility to not only share this experience with other people, but also to help those in the developing world to move beyond their level of poverty.\
