Bruce and Eric recently returned from a visit to the Artibonite Valley. Our goals were to (1) evaluate the condition and map locations of existing water lines originating at the Les Forges springbox and assist with design of a water storage tank to store Les Forges spring water for the community of Les Forges, and (2) determine a course of action for updating the water storage, treatment, and distribution system for Hospital Albert Schweitzer (HAS).

We met several times with Renold Estime, the Water and Sanitation Manager for the Integrated Community Services department at HAS. Renold has recently been directing efforts to drill wells, build latrines, and plan waterlines and fountains for the outreach community of HAS. We mapped the recently-replaced and planned waterlines in Les Forges, and visited the location of the planned storage tank. We also met with local civil engineer Hans and reviewed his plans for the water storage tank. Hans' plans and budget looked good, and he has included local matching funds in the form of labor. We also met with the Les Forges Water Committee to discuss planning, operation and maintenance of the distribution system. FoRWaRD has recommended the donation of US$20,000 to fund the water tank construction.

The water distribution system at HAS has been in place for over 50 years. During this time, many changes have been made to the system, and much information about these changes has been lost due to employee attrition, hurricanes, and floods. HAS is in need of an updated water supply system. Their system consists of several wells from which water is pumped to HAS, a mixing tank where the water is chlorinated, a 55,000 gallon storage tank built in the 1950s, and distribution lines to the hospital and surrounding campus. Regular system maintenance is difficult due to lack of funding, limited staff, and urgent issues such as the recent earthquake and cholera outbreak. Bruce and Eric met with HAS director Dr. Ian Rawson and hospital engineer Jimmy Tinsley to develop a budget and priority list for updating the HAS water system. The priorities we settled on include installing a new elevated treated water storage tank across campus, repair and maintenance of the old tank, and building a new mixing tank and chlorination system along with replacement of pumps to circulate treated water. Two water tanks will help insure that the hospital has a backup when one needs to be taken offline for maintenance. Here is a photo of the tank built in the 1950s:

Since the earthquake and more recent cholera outbreak, the Artibonite valley surrounding HAS has seen a substantial increase in residents. Many people who lost their homes in Port au Prince during the earthquake relocated in the valley. It is estimated that HAS serves a population of 300,000. With the cholera outbreak the number of patients at the hospital has greatly increased and the water and sanitation resources are operating at 110% capacity. If clean water and adequate sanitation were available to everyone, it is likely that cholera would not be an issue in the valley, and HAS would be able to dedicate it's resources to other pressing issues that were present before the cholera outbreak, such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malnutrition, pneumonia, infections, and trauma injuries. FoRWaRD hopes to contribute to the success of the hospital and the health of the community it serves by addressing the water-quality and clean-water availability issues that residents of the Artibonite valley are plagued with.