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UK consultants collaborate in Nicaragua

In September 2006 Liz Buchanan and Liz Hammock, from rival UK water consultancy firms Entec and Atkins respectively, spent a month in Nicaragua working together as volunteers with Nuevas Esperanzas.  They were involved in various aspects of our work but spent most of their time on the new Mountain Rain project collecting field data and setting up a Geographical Information System (GIS).  Here is their report:

“We worked on a project with isolated communities living on the sides of a volcano range (Los Maribios) approximately 40 miles north east of Leon.  The issue for communities in this area is access to safe drinking water, with people travelling 6-10km a day on foot and on horseback to fetch water from springs… Rainfall is very high during the wet season (May to November) and rainwater harvesting is a proven method of capturing and storing rainwater which would otherwise be lost.  Alongside a consortium of other NGOs and local government organizations we worked on a project to introduce efficient methods of rainwater harvesting to these communities, as well as making the most of the current spring supplies.  We were involved in a range of activities, including fieldwork gathering data about the communities, setting up GIS systems to store and adequately map this data and writing proposals for project funding…

“When we arrived in El Ojochal we saw for ourselves a new rainwater harvesting tank built by Nuevas Esperenzas to collect rainwater from the roof of the local primary school.    From this point progress was only possible on foot and we walked to more communities further afield.  In temperatures of around 30°C this was hard work, but worth it.  Once we reached our goal of the community of Agua Fria we met with community leaders and started recording data.  For each house we recorded how many people lived there, the size and material of the roof (relevant when considering rainwater harvesting potential) and whether or not any wells, springs or attempts at rainwater harvesting already exist.  GPS locations were recorded for each house and once back in the office all of this data would be transferred into the GIS system so maps of the communities could be produced.   These few days alone gave us a real feel for what it is to be a campesino in Nicaragua, a tough life especially when there is little water available.

“This visit meant a night on the volcano and so we were able to mix business with pleasure and walk on further for a night camping up close and personal with Volcán Telica.  By the time we arrived it was nightfall already.  Donning our head torches we ventured right up to the edge of the volcano and leaned over to see a precipitous drop down into the cauldron of fire far beneath us.  It was both exciting and nerve-wracking given the fact that it was a live volcano and had the potential to surprise us…  Thankfully the volcano was quiet that night and after a good night’s sleep we made it safely down the hill again and were able to hitch a lift on the back of a truck…

“We have both really benefited from our time here, we have seen at first hand what it is like to live and work in a country which is one of the poorest in Latin America.”

12/10/06