The Bolivia Project
BACKGROUND
The Bolivia group has been working in Quesimpuco for 10 years on many different projects to improve the lives of the community members. They worked along side the community members, SIFAT, and CENATEC to implement projects that include an irrigation system, a hydroponics system, hand powered washing machines, and solar showers.
CURRENT PROGRESS
Currently the team is organizing the construction of a gravity-fed irrigation system that will serve 21 fields roughly 21,000 square meters in area. The water catchment will take place in the ravine adjacent to the community, and a large 60,000-liter concrete tank will be built uphill from the fields. The water will be distributed from the tank to movable sprinklers located on each field. Current plans in Pararia, Bolivia aim to transport spring water to a cement storage unit closer to the fields. This design will involve nearly 3,000 kilometers (more than 1,800 miles) of pipeline. Students working on our Bolivia project will analyze both the design of the pipeline and the cement storage unit while also communicating with past projects to ensure our work’s quality.
RECENT IMPLEMENTATIONS
Students and professors in Auburn are working hard to collaborate with community members on the design and verification of the irrigation system. After two years of no travel, in 2022, a group of 7 students traveled to the community of Pararia. The first phase of the system, which only collects about half of the water in the ravine, was completed in 2022. A team of 10 students returned to the community in 2023 to continue collecting geospatial data.