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CAMBODIA PROGRAM

Interested in checking out EWB-OSU’s newest program? Join the Cambodia Program Team as they plan for their second assessment trip for December 2017!

O’rana has a population of about 1,050 people and consists of over 200 households. The community farms sustenance and cash crops including rice, cassava, cashew trees, and rubber trees. Water access is highly variable from house to house, but on average families spend about 20% of their income on bottled water for cooking and drinking. There are also about 45 families with private drilled wells, 12 public drilled wells, and 18 hand dug wells in the community that provide water for at least part of the year. The least affluent community members will also use stream water when it’s available, especially while they’re working on their farms.

Upon returning from the first assessment trip in December 2016, the Cambodia program compiled all data, maps, and partnership agreements into a technical report to clearly define the problems our first project will address and the potential solutions. This included performing a groundwater assessment, evaluating the safety and quality of water sources, taking topographic data, and analyzing community demographics. After completing the report, an alternatives analysis was done to compare compare options for supply, distribution, and filtration of a drinking water system. Part of this process was maintaining regular contact with our NGO partners and finalizing the creation of a community water committee that will help run the system.

Our team plans to build a series distribution system with water storage and filtration, sourced by existing public drilled wells. Rainwater catchment system may also be incorporated for areas of the community that aren’t well suited for a distribution system. An education plan will be implemented in addition to meetings with the community and water board to get input and continue to develop our relationship with the community. This may include the construction of some small projects such as public filtration stands for the community. A second assessment trip traveled in December 2017 and collected data about the capacity of specific drilled wells, pipeline routes, and site mapping for storage. After this trip we should a great foundation to quickly begin design and be ready to begin construction in December 2018.

Cambodia Program Meetings:

Check out the Home Page for the Cambodia Program meeting times this term.

To join the email listserv and updates on the groups progress, email Keaton Townley at cambodia@ewb-osu.org