Six Senses

Within the community of Kunahandhoo, 4 currently unconnected rainwater tanks, received as a part of a governmental aid program, are sitting unused because the community lacks the resources to develop them into a working system to help meet the freshwater needs of the island.

The four tanks consist of one of 10,000-liter capacity, one of 5,000-liter capacity and two of 2,500-liter capacity. Under the project, the four tanks will be connected to comprise a workable system using the appropriate piping and fixtures.

An optimal site, located between the community harbor and the island’s residential area, has been allocated. A concrete platform will be built and the tanks will be secured. A catchment area will be built over the tanks to house and shade them. Finally, gutters and piping will be installed to capture the rainwater and direct it by gravity into the tanks for storage.

The planning has been completed, and work is underway to purchase the materials and contract the labor for installation. We will keep you updated as the project progresses.

This project has been fully funded by Six Senses Resorts and Spas and Positive H2O. If you wish to contribute to the expansion of the Rainwater Harvesting Program – Maldives to other islands, please click on the Donate button below.

The program will start with projects in four inhabited island communities, namely Kunahandhoo, Hithadhoo, Maamendhoo and Gaadhoo, in the remote Laamu Atoll, aka Hahdhunmathi Atoll.

The program is being implemented under the direction of Abram Le Cerf, Social and Environment Manager at Six Senses, Laamu. It is made possible through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts and Spas, an environmentally and socially conscious resort ownership and management company, and Positive H2O (+H2O), a company of dedicated professional windsurfers who have a passionate interest in the oceans and the environment.

Maldives, being an atoll nation consisting of one percent land and 99 percent ocean, is a country with very little in terms of freshwater resources. Consequently, accessing sanitary and sustainable fresh drinking water is a major challenge faced by the inhabitants of the rural communities of Maldives.

The islands of Kunahandhoo, Hithadhoo, Maamendhoo and Gaadhoo are inhabited by total populations of 783, 1040, 1186 and 417 individuals, respectively. Consequently, the total number of direct beneficiaries of the first phase of this project is 3,426 persons.

Traditionally, for all of their freshwater requirements, including for drinking water, these four communities have been dependent upon shallow fresh groundwater aquifers, aka freshwater lenses, which exist beneath all islands in Maldives, accessed via wells. These freshwater lenses accumulate through rainfall infiltration into the sandy soils of the islands and this freshwater, being less dense than saltwater, subsequently floats on top of the saline groundwater which infiltrates the islands’ soils from the surrounding sea.

However, in the face of growing populations the capacity of the freshwater lenses to meet the needs of the populations of Kunahandhoo, Hithadhoo, Maamendhoo and Gaadhoo has become limited through things such as saltwater intrusion due to soil erosion, over-exploitation of the freshwater lenses and monsoonal rainfall changes.

Similarly, degradation of wells and pollution of the freshwater lenses due to inadequate sewage management, industrial effluent infiltration, and inappropriate agricultural practices, all place pressure on local freshwater resources.

To confound matters, as a country which is situated entirely within the tropics, Maldives’ climate is characterized by two distinct annual monsoons, with vastly different rainfall patterns, the southwest monsoon and the northeast monsoon. Accordingly, although during the southwest monsoon, spanning from May to October, rainfall is at its highest, during the northeast monsoon, extending from November to April, dry and hot conditions prevail. Consequently, during the northeast monsoon the communities of Kunahandhoo, Hithadhoo, Maamendhoo and Gaadhoo experience significant water shortages.

Due to the scarcity of available groundwater and surface water within these communities, and the high economic and environmental cost of desalinating seawater, rainwater capture and storage is a key strategy for securing freshwater to support their populations. Indeed, throughout Maldives, in line with relative public policy, multiple public and voluntary sector programs have previously been carried out to distribute and establish rainwater capture and storage tanks in all of the nation’s 200 inhabited islands. However, freshwater shortages still remain.

In recent years, during the northeast monsoon within all four communities it is reported that public and residential rainwater tanks frequently run dry, forcing the expensive importation of desalinated water by barge from Male’.

Although rainwater storage tanks have been distributed in many instances by governmental agencies, in many cases, these tanks have remained unconnected due to a lack of essential components, such as catchments and connective materials, including gutters, pipes, overflows, filters, valves and taps. Consequently, large numbers of rainwater tanks sit idle.

Within Hithadhoo, Maamendhoo and Gaadhoo public rainwater tank systems which have been previously established have become degraded and damaged and are either completely dysfunctional or are functioning at only partial capacity, further confounding water shortage problems during the northeast monsoon.

The first phase of this program is being initiated with the Kunahandhoo Island Rainwater Harvesting Project – Maldives, and will proceed to the other three islands. Upon proven success, it will be expanded to additional islands, in an effort to have widespread impact on the water supply problems facing Maldives.

The projects on the first four islands of the program have been fully funded by Six Senses Resorts and Spas and Positive H2O. If you wish to contribute to the expansion of the Rainwater Harvesting Program – Maldives to other islands, please click on the Donate button below.

The project consists of two parts. The first is the construction a rainwater harvesting system to serve a village, including an underground tank, and another for a school. The second is the construction of a percolated dug well in the stream of a river that will generate water throughout the year.

The combined projects will directly benefit 105 families, or 500 people.

The project will be carried out in partnership with Samerth Charitable Trust, an Indian non-profit development organization that works towards accelerating a humane, sustainable, and equitable society. Samerth has focused on improving the conditions of marginalized communities since 1992. Samerth has been working in Kutch for the past 11 years, with interventions in drinking water, community health, migrant children’s education, and promoting livelihood.

Kutch, which comprises 23 % area of the state, receives only 13% of the annual rainfall. Therefore, the area has been designated a “Water Scarce Region.”

The project fits in with an overall plan to ensure that there is sufficient water availability, safe sanitation, and effective hygiene practices. It is aimed specifically to impact on the high rate of child mortality existing in the region.

Javavandh Rainwater Harvesting Systems
Community System
Javavandh is a hamlet on the edge of the Small Runn (desert) of Kutch, situated five kilometers inside of the main village called Palasava, in Rapar block. It is one of the last habitats near the desert and fifteen families (total 90 members including men, women and children) are living there.

Samerth has supported this vandh by providing two earthen check dams in the past, but due to bad monsoon seasons on many occasions in the last few years, the people are facing acute water shortages for drinking purposes. There is no supply of water through the pipeline in this area, and therefore the people have to rely on the water available at the dams. When this is not available, the women must go 4 to 5 kilometers to get water for drinking and cooking.

Samerth has identified this vandh for the construction of rainwater harvesting systems. The capacity of the underground tank will be approximately 10,000 liters. This facility will provide safe drinking water to the people of Javavandh, when it is most needed, for a period of 40 to 60 days, depending on the amount of rainfall each year.

Most of the times the people will take water from the earthen check dams for their daily use and they will utilize the underground water in an emergency only. This is like a safe deposit for them and they will utilize this water when the water in the dams has become less, and during the night, when its use will serve to benefit women and young girls.

School System
The village school in Javavandh has 45 children from surrounding areas are enrolled. There is no drinking water available to the children, and they have to take water to school with them each day.

One roof water harvesting system will be built on the school campus to provide the children with drinking water while they are at school.

The system will consist of gutters around the roof of the school, a storage tank, and piping.

Mansangh Percolated Dug Well

A hand-dug well will be built in Mansangh vandh, a remote area where water facilities are not available.

Samerth has experience in this construction technology, having built 80 dug wells in the Rapar block to date.

The well will be built on the farm of Mr. Gelabhai Ganeshbhai Koli in Mansang vandh, 3 kilometers inside of the main village. The family of nine has been living in this field for the last four years without a direct water source.

The dug well support will solve the problem of drinking water for the entire village of 105 families, or 500 people. At the same time it will provide a reserve of water for irrigation purposes in case of emergency.

Conclusion

The project has been designed to provide for the water needs of a vulnerable population. Through the development of water management committees, the judicious use of water will be ensured and the structures will be maintained. As part of a larger community development program, it will serve the people of the area for many years to come.

This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative out of Water/Wo/Men in collaboration with Positive H2O (+H2O).

The project resulted in the construction of a ferro-cement tank and a rainwater catchment system. In addition, an effective team was trained to be able to continue to construct tanks in Haiti.

Rafael reports:

This project is the start of a great dream to bring clean water to Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. It involves the construction of a ferro-cement tank in Haiti with the generous support of Water Charity.

The size of the tank is 12,000 liters, and it has been constructed in the community of Grandsaban, in the municipality of Acul des Pins.

The community of Grandsaban has a growth rate of 10 to 12 children per family. 15% of the children die before the age of five. 80% cannot read or write. Only 10% have finished primary education, 5% secondary education, and less than 3% university education. There is only one medical doctor for 32,000 inhabitants. 99% of the families do not have potable water.

The community has a population of about 5,000 people. The lack of water is dramatic, water being carried by children who walk long distances to recover a day’s supply for the family, often from contaminated sources.

Under the Ferro-Cement Tanks for the Dominican Republic and Haiti Program the Peace Corps trained three counterpart Haitians in the Dominican Republic in the ferro-cement tank technology. These consisted of a Haitian Ambiorix, a Dominican technician, Félix Mangete , and an engineer, Juan Peralta. After training, they traveled to Haiti to build the first tank in the municipality of Acul des Pains.

The general coordinator of the project in Haiti was Jhonny Genord Clervil, who coordinated with the leader of the community and the Mayor, Dejan Pierre. These leaders formed a committee of 10 persons who were responsible for the execution of the project. The community provided 20 volunteers who offered their services each day and received food for their support.

I traveled three times to Haiti, organizing the work for carrying out the project, and collaborating with Associate Peace Corps Director for the Dominican Republic Tim McFarren.

Water Charity project funds were used to buy materials, including welding materials, metal screen, cement, sand, gravel, wire, aluminum covers, laminated plywood, canvas, paint and fittings.

The actual construction of the tank took five days to complete, and now serves to effectively provide water for the community.

We extend our thanks to Rafael for completing this groundbreaking and monumental project, to Tim McFarren and the Peace Corps Volunteers of the Dominican Republic, and the entire crew that worked diligently to make it possible.

We again thank Six Senses Resorts & Spas for providing matching funds this project.

Future Garden School is a Burmese migrant learning center located in Phop Phra, Tak province, Thailand. It is located very close to the Burmese border and has 300+ students this year. These students are of mixed ethnicities, and their families have recently fled from Burma into Thailand looking for better opportunities and education. In addition to running classes for kindergarten through 5th grade, the school also runs a boarding house for over 30 of the students whose homes are too far away from the school to travel on a daily basis.

Their current problem arises from a lack of access to water. Last year they had a connection to a neighbor’s well. However, the well was downhill from the school, which required the school to purchase a pump. Due to a less-than-desirable neighbor and an isolated location of the well, the pump was broken several times and the principal of the learning center, Nwe Ni Win, decided to discontinue collaborating with this neighbor.

Nwe Ni Win recently arranged to obtain water from the other neighbor, who is a Thai village headman and has proven to be much more helpful with the school. This new well is uphill from the school, which eliminates the need for an electric pump.

Project funds will be used to purchase materials, including water pipe and glue, and pay some labor costs, to bring the water from the property of the neighbor. The school will contribute over 1/3 of the project cost.

Five members of the local Thai community will be chosen by the village headman to work on the project, which will last a total of four days.

This project will ensure that these 300 students can continue their education while having safe and clean conditions, something that their parents envisioned when leaving Burma and coming to Thailand.

Mark previously successfully completed the Pa Taan Daai Bathroom Project - Thailand during his service as a Peace Corps Volunteer. As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, he proceeded to complete the Ban Huay Lue Luang Bathroom Project - Thailand.

This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Mark of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Mark and/or other projects in the country of service.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.

Barrero Pyta sits on the sides of Ruta 8 in the South of the Department of San Pedro in Paraguay. There are about 150 houses and a high population of youth under the age of 26.

The people received both running water and electricity within the last 15 years. The majority makes their living in agriculture, small business, and teaching. There is a high school, an elementary school, two local radio stations and a soccer field.

In Paraguay, waste management and sanitation are dire issues, especially in rural areas. In some places there are no means of waste management. More often, people use poorly constructed latrines nearly full with waste, and lack the education to practice sanitary habits and the money to properly maintain their latrines.

The Sanitary Bathroom Commission began in March 2009 with over sixty members. Presently, the group has only fifteen members. These women continue to believe their project will come to fruition, and patiently work toward the construction of a modern bathroom in each of their homes.

Currently, the commission sells food, fabric softener, and detergent and hosts movie nights for the community in order to raise funds. Additionally, each woman pays a monthly fee to maintain her commission membership.

The construction of modern bathrooms and the implementation of health lessons will prevent the spread of diarrhea, a leading cause of death among children around the world, lessen the presence of intestinal parasites, and ensure increased sanitary control of human waste.

The community members will contribute to the cost of the project by providing their own transportations of materials, the cost of manual labor, and the assistance of at least one person in each family to aid the construction worker with the completion of the bathroom. Lastly, each family will be responsible for purchasing and preparing the food for those doing the manual labor.

The project will benefit about 75 people, consisting of the participating women and their families.

To see a video of Carroll’s work on latrines in the community, CLICK HERE.

$0.00 - The Water Charity portion of this project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Carroll of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or other projects in the country of service.

The village of Zamblala has a population of roughly 1,200 people. It is located in rural Mali, in the cercle of Koutiala. Most of the villagers are subsistence farmers. During much of the year (November through June), precipitation is negligible. There is little or no infrastructure in the village, including a complete lack of water delivery infrastructure or sanitation infrastructure.

There are virtually no improved latrines in the village. Some households have an unimproved pit latrine with simple wood and clay slab, while other households simply wait for dark to defecate in a nearby field. The community is aware of the implications to health and well-being of the unimproved sanitation situation.

Most latrines have neither a reinforced slab nor any kind of lining, causing erosion at the mouth, and allowing surface water to enter the latrine pit and pull contamination into the groundwater. There is also the alarming possibility of the wood and clay slab breaking and dropping one into the latrine pit itself!

Water Charity is participating in the larger project under the Peace Corps Partnership Program. Project funds will go toward purchasing cement, materials, and tools to complete the work.

The community will provide all of the unskilled labor and the locally available materials in addition to paying for the skilled labor. This includes digging both the latrine and soak away pits, and collecting the sand, gravel, and rocks. It also includes supplying at least two people to assist with concrete mixing and simple masonry tasks. Transport of materials from the market town 3 kilometers away is also a community contribution. The community portion, both cash and in kind is roughly 27% of the total project cost.

The project will directly serve approximately 150 people in 30 households.

Once the project is complete, the standing Water and Sanitation Committee will continue to utilize the skills and knowledge of latrine improvement gained during the project to improve other latrines in the village.

In an earlier project, Pilar and another PCV installed 10 reinforced concrete latrine slabs, leaving roughly 75 households without improved sanitation infrastructure. The rest of the households are eager to "keep up with the Joneses" in the American vernacular.

Pilar also successfully completed the Well Improvement Project – Mali.

$0.00 - This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Pilar of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or other projects in the country of service.

Although Water Charity’s main mission is sustainable development, when a disaster of this magnitude arises, it is impossible to ignore the need for an immediate relief effort to save lives. For that reason, on April 21, we participated in the shipment of a truckload of canned water (52,800 12-ounce cans) for immediate distribution to persons living in evacuation centers, schools, and orphanages.

The shipment was made in partnership with CannedWater4Kids, a Wisconsin nonprofit. They were able to negotiate substantial donations of services, including shipping, and also arrange for distribution through Second Harvest of Japan, an organization with extensive distribution channels.

The shipment was made possible by funding from Six Senses Resorts & Spas, which sprang into action immediately to raise funds for a substantial relief program.

In our effort to provide help to the people in Japan immediately after the earthquake, we faced with a situation more dire and more complex than any previously imagined. The release of nuclear particles into the atmosphere and into the water presented extreme problems.

Our first thought was to implement a water filtration solution. Over the past 3 years, we have undertaken many filter projects in all corners of the globe. Each project is vastly different, as there are different needs, different locally-used technologies, and different contaminants to be removed.

After going through our toolkit of technologies, we were left with the startling observation that none of our traditional filtration techniques would be satisfactory in this instance. Filters are available that can remove certain radioactive particles. However, Japan faced a problem where many different types of radiation were found in the water, depending on the location.

Furthermore, a solution based on filtration introduced a host of new problems, including how to dispose of the filter when it was necessary to do so. The simple answer is that a team of hazardous waste experts would have to properly handle this waste and then safely dispose of it. The experts and the places for safe disposal do not currently exist!

Meanwhile, we were getting reports of radioactivity detected in the drinking water as far away as Tokyo. Pregnant women and infants were advised not to drink the tap water, and local sources of pure water were inadequate.

It was at that time that the urgency of getting safe water to Japan at once became apparent, and the solution became obvious: Send safe water at once!

If you had asked us on March 1 what we would think about sending packaged water halfway around the world, we would have said: “That’s nuts!” The cost per liter of water is huge, and the energy cost of packing, shipping, and disposing of the packaging is enormous.

However, in this instance, it appeared as a literal lifesaver, that could be implemented at once. Not only could we put safe water immediately into the hands of those who needed it to survive, we could actually do it more cheaply than any filter solution we had been considering!

The canned water solution satisfied an immediate need as a part of a massive relief effort put into force by millions of people in hundreds of countries. We are now concentrating on longer-range development assistance to help the Japanese people get back on their feet. Your help is requested in this endeavor. Please use the Donate button below to direct your donation to the development effort in Japan.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.

Jaidee Daycare accommodates 60 students, ages 2-4. The building experiences two significant problems, namely flooding during the rainy season and the poor quality of water for the consumption of students and staff. This project, under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Heidi Mahoney, addresses both problems.

The daycare building itself sits on a lowland silt area. Often during the monsoon rainy season, rain pours down in short, yet heavy showers. During these torrential rains, water mixed with mud, silt, and various ground residue, gushes into the daycare building. This causes a huge mess that often makes it necessary to close the building, and results in highly unhygienic conditions and increased susceptibility to water-borne disease.

The first part of this project addresses the flooding issue by constructing a new drainage system and elevating common ground around the daycare with concrete beams.

Two diagonal gutters starting at the roof will funnel rainwater into a drain connected to the village drainage system. In addition, concrete beams affixed around the structure will prevent water from entering the building.

Currently, there is no running water in the building, other than in the bathrooms. Most importantly, the water quality is not guaranteed. Water for personal use is accessed from local wells filled with unsanitary ground water, which is often unsuitable for even hand-washing and brushing teeth.

The daycare teachers have to purchase large jugs of drinking water to stock the daycare. Also, there are no sinks for dish washing or for children to wash their hands before and after meals and after using the restroom.

The second part of this project is for the purchase of a water purification tank connected to a common water canteen as well as the installation of sinks with running water.

Project funds will be used for the tank and PVC supply and drainage piping. Labor will be provided by the community.

In addition to the day care teachers and children, approximately 1,452 local villagers will be able to access this water source for drinking and household use.

This project has the support of teachers, parents, and local administrators who recognize its importance and have pledged the necessary resources. This will ensure the sustainability of the project far into the future.

This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Heidi of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or other projects in the country of service.

The project is being implemented under the direction of Kristen Gunther, graduate student at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health and Suma Marka, a Peruvian NGO operating out of Puno. To read the full details about the project, CLICK HERE.

The community of Parina, located in the rural southeast region of the Andes Mountains, adjacent to Lake Titicaca, currently struggles to access clean water sources. Parina is a small rural community situated approximately 12,500 feet above sea level and located outside the regional capital of Puno. Due to the rural location of Parina, community members lack access to clean water sources and struggle to obtain health-related services.

Parina primarily obtains its drinking water from unprotected springs contaminated by human and animal waste, and unmaintained wells built by the government. The primary spring is a location in which the community obtains drinking and cooking water and takes their animals to drink. While water from this spring is initially pure and potable, environmental contamination and lack of maintenance leads to unclean drinking water in the spring.

The structure of this spring is not ideal for preventing contamination of ground water and perpetuates water-related diseases. Elevated levels of E. coli and fecal coliforms have been consistently found in water from the spring. These indicator microbes show bacterial contamination likely to lead to gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea in Parina, especially among vulnerable children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

The project will start with the purchase of construction materials and equipment in the nearby city of Puno, and their transport by truck to Parina. Community members will provide certain materials that they currently have within the community, such as wood for the spring box frame and construction tools.

A local professional who has experience in constructing improved springs and wells will be hired to oversee the construction process of the catchment box. Community members in Parina will provide the labor.

To initiate construction the current spring will be excavated until an impermeable soil layer is reached. Gravel and stones will be placed above the soil layer to prevent erosion and further ensure a clean water source. A cement wall with an overflow tube at the top will be placed on the open wall of the spring to close the spring off. A second tube will be placed towards the bottom of the wall, approximately 50 centimeters from the ground, providing a connection to the catchment box. The water will flow from the protected spring into the catchment box where it will then be accessible to the community through a tap.

In addition, a cover will be constructed from local materials to ensure no contamination enters the spring from above, and to allow entry into the spring for cleaning and maintenance.

After the initial protection of the spring is completed, the catchment box will be constructed. It will contain an outlet tube approximately 50 centimeters from the ground with a tap to allow for water collection. An overflow tube will be placed 50 centimeters from the top of the catchment box to ensure that the catchment box does not overflow.

All tubes will have a screen on the end to ensure no debris will enter the spring or catchment box and all water leaving the catchment box will be free of particles.

A cover for the catchment box will also be constructed with a top allowing for easy access to clean and maintain it.

Finally, the spring and catchment box will be disinfected with a chlorine solution before use. Community members will be trained on maintenance to ensure a clean water source in the future and sustainability of all structures. Monthly water quality monitoring will continue in order to maintain water quality.

During the wet season, this project will benefit 49 people in 7 households, plus students at a small elementary school with 30 students. In the dry season, other water sources dry up and an additional 35 people in 7 households will use spring.

This project uses simple proven methods that can be replicated using locally available materials. Residents will be trained in construction and maintenance, thus ensuring sustainability.

In summary, this is a necessary project to prevent further contamination of the spring and provide clean drinking water to the Parina community. Its benefits will be seen in the measurable reduction of illness.

This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Kristen of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund other projects in Peru.