I know the students are posting, either about their experiences on the health care side of our time here in Ocoa, or post that will be random and outrageous.......and probably at my expense! I am fitting in where I can and trying to make myself useful - hopefully it is working.
With this in mind, I jumped at the opportunity to head up into the hills to see the various ways the country is trying to supply clean and safe water to the inhabitants of the small villages that make up much of the country. We piled into various vehicles and travelled over hill and dale to see the methods and strategies. At the same time were able to experience the most out of the way places and see some of the most rugged territory the country has to offer.
In the end, the land use of the country is so intense, it is difficult to find a truly wild place, and some form of agriculture is always in view, even if it is only slash and burn.
Essentially, there are two strategies tin the hills around Occa to get potable water, free of contaminants, virus and bacteria. One is to use a simple, inexpensive, yet effective water filters wich provide clean water at the same rate water of dubious origin is poured into the top.
This is one of the original versions, and has been in use for over a decade. These filters are placed in schools so that the children have a chance to drink healthy water.
The second type of portable filter is an improved version of the first...it is larger, created more water in less time and is virtually maintenance free.
You can see in action above. It uses three types of "land", by which I assume they mean soil, by which I assume means clay in various sizes to filter the the water. Total cost of the filter is under 100$ and each one is expected to last about 15 years without any maintenance at all. Impressive.
The second system is much more of an infrastructure. Since all of the water originates in the hills, over the years, large cisterns have been constructed that allow for the storage of quantities of water that are slowly refilled from the aquifer. The cisterns are linked to the communities in the lower reaches of the mountains by pipes that have valves and chlorine puck holders similar to those in any pool in Montreal.
The pucks are placed in the tube and dissolve as water flows through the pipes. Local are hired to test the water and add or remove the pucks as needed. Each cistern serves 400 - 600 peopl
Apart from an amazing ride around the mountains, the day was instructive and interesting. It is amazing to see human ingenuity working for a common good for health and happiness.
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