Princeton Engineers Without Borders

Hanging on the side of the mountain

Proudly wearing the orange with the EWB group

working at 8000 ft altitude is hard

It was a tight squeeze to get PVC pipe to site

The EWB group takes a rest

I spent the last week in Samne, up north in La Libertad, about 2 hours into the mountains from Trujillo at 6500 ft. The Princeton Engineers Without Borders is building a new potable drinking water system in the even more remote site of Pitahaya. The supply line runs 6 km from the source to the village, which sits high on a ridge above the Moche River. A second system will be built to serve Pitahaya Baja. That source is much closer, but too low to serve the higher village.

After an overnight bus from Lima to Trujillo, I took a really rough combi ride up to Samne, a small town with good water system, sewer and winding roads with 300 ft drops off the sides. The area is famous for it’s pineapples, which are grown EVERYWHERE. Unlike Canete, with its flat and rich soil, these folks farm on slopes of like 60 – 70 degrees. I stayed with Mama Rosa, Harrison Barnes host Mom, before he left PC due to back problems. No internet at all and cell service that only worked in 3 small points out on the edges of town, made life frustrating and work slow.

When I got to town, the 7 young EWB Volunteers were off to nearby Otusco, to get permission to use a new spring source. They had recently discovered that the source they planned to use was too seasonal to work. The new Source is much better, but access is via a goat path. I actually declined to go the last 100 yds for fear of death or serious injury. The path was about a foot wide, against a rock wall, with a 500 ft drop.

The new source has created all sorts of delays and problems. New plans had to be drawn, permissions obtained, papers filed, material list revised, etc. And everything takes longer here. Some offices are only open in the morning and others close at will. There is no FedEx, so documents can be carried by a friend or relative who happen to be going that way. This is even more of an issue for EWB, who are only in country for a month at a time. A good case for the 2 year PC term.

Despite the set-backs, the 7 undergraduate Tigers were wonderful to work with. Bright, alert and inquisitive – full of questions about my experiences at Princeton and beyond. They also did classes at the local school in water use, hand-washing and ecology.

The first day, a few of us went out to measure the new source spring and re-survey the whole length of the water line route. The entire route runs along-side and existing aqueduct, which carries Moche River water to the town. Sadly, the upstream mines have been dumping toxins in the river. At one point they hit a vein of Arsenic, which caused crops to wither (imagine what it was doing to the people?). The government put a stop to that mine, but the water is still not fit for drinking. We measured the areas where iron pipe will be required. The route runs in and out of 4 canyons, so we looked at where it might be worthwhile to run across the canyon with a cable support. The hike was not easy – at altitude, along a path that was only 1 ft wide in places. Big rocks had fallen in other areas and were split with hand chisel and removed to the extent that passage was possible. All the canyons, except the first, were steep and rocky – views were spectacular. About half way to the village, we were met by a delightful young woman, who had carried our lunches all the way from town. And enjoyed a picnic with a view, as they say.

The village of Pitahaya is just now getting electricity. Latrines were built there last year. The residents hand carried the concrete light pole up the hill, while maintaining their fields – mostly pineapples and avocado. They work hard on these improvements and Alan, the former mayor of Samne also gives great support. Next year they’ll have good water. Meanwhile, they’re using water that has metal and bacteria contamination.

Some of the crew and I went to Trujillo on a hardware and document run the next day. The combi only runs 3 times each day and carries all manner of freight along with passengers. The route is a single lane road, full of cut-backs with hair-pin turns and rough beyond words. Everything seems to take forever. Just adjusting the materials order was a Herculean effort. On top of that, one of our expedition came down with the revenge and was laid low at the Colonial Hotel, where PCVs usually stay. A pleasant surprise was running into other PCVs from La Libertad at the hotel. Always a treat.

Emily and I returned to base for more planning. All meals were at Mama Luz’s place. Good food – huge portions, as usual.  Dinner conversation reminded me so much of Princeton. Multiple topics, changing frequently – insightful, thoughtful and articulate. Particularly delightful, coming from a bunch of engineers. No offense, PG. There was not the alcohol consumption I experience among PCVs, which was refreshing.

Next day, the materials were supposed to be loaded in Trujillo at 8:30am. Well, first the hired truck was late, and then found to be too short. The second truck finally got loaded at 2pm. Every time a phone call was made required a trek to one of the few reception sites in town. Even then, dropped calls were plentiful. We finally loaded in the Police pick-up for the ride (with flashing lights) to where the truck would arrive to wait. And wait. And wait. The truck had been stopped 4 times along the route for having PVC pipes sticking out the back. Each time was a 2 to 5 sole ($0.60 - $2) bribe.

We rode atop the truck up a VERY narrow and partially washed out road (more like wide path), wedged between rock cliff and sheer drop-off. At several places, the driver refused to continue until rocks were added to the side for support. When we reached the materials staging area, which is still ¼ mile up to the village, we unloaded the truck and covered with tarps. Men from the village came down to help. They would grab pipe bundles by themselves and sprint up the hill. We used 2 volunteers per bundle. And walked. The driver got wedged in the turn-around and required serious McGuyver engineering to extract it. The ride down was even better, though both were definitely “E” tickets.

The final day was a presentation to the village – had to break the news that the water line would not be finished this trip. Hard for everyone. Though, I sense that the residents were a little relieved – they have been working hard on the electric project and neglecting their crops. The reservoir tank will be completed and the source secured and contained. Some pipe will be laid for use at the source end and canyon crossings will be refined, but that is about all that can be reasonably accomplished this trip.

I returned to Trujillo to search for polyethylene glue for a biodigester experiment, but came up empty. The ride home was my first  Super Cama experience. Like 1^st class international. Me Likee.