On Friday June 12th the AIDG team returned to Xaquijyá for further investigation of the community’s water system. We scrambled up and down the mountainside to review one side of the community’s 10 springs, as well as the other sector’s 3 springs and separate water system. The 160 family community is served by two water systems, one that reaches 76 families and the other 74.
By the end of the day we had walked about 12 kilometers and seen all the springs and most of the pipeline. Luckily none of the springs had been wiped out, which bodes well for the repair. The sector of the community that is served by 3 large springs had their pipeline damaged in 3 places – two along the mountainside and one at a stream crossing in the community. Overall it looked to be a fairly straightforward repair job, especially in comparison with the other sector. Sector 2, which we had visited on Tuesday, had their pipe broken in at least 8 places, and the terrain was much harder to work in. We were literally clawing our way up the hillside in some places to get from spring to spring.
This week we will be working with community members to develop a plan to get the people water as quickly as possible. Once we have that plan in place we will work with them to try to create a more tropical storm-resistant water system that can help them to not be in such a dire position the next time the mountain comes down.
The damage from Agatha was not limited just to this community, or just to a few communities. As we were sweating at the top of the mountain after having verified the state of all the springs, our view spread out all over the departments of Sololá and Quiché. Hillside after hillside was scarred with brown lines among the green tries, signs of the landslides that had ripped the mountains apart. Locals say that in this part of the country the damage was worse than during Hurricane Stan. It will take the rural communities of this area a long time to recover, and a lot of outside help will be needed to reconstruct their key infrastructure, most of which was constructed at some point with a lot of help from a government that doesn’t have the resources now to repair them all at once.
On the morning of June 8th, most of AIDG, including coordinators and interns, piled into our vehicles already packed with shovels, dry goods and sanitary items. We were headed to the Xaquijyá community near Lake Atitlan to help them with some of the damage they had suffered as a result of tropical storm Agatha. Landslides had completely wiped out several of their houses along with a grain storage shed. Many other homes were buried in mud and uninhabitable. More urgently, the storm had torn through some of the piping that fed water to the community from mountain springs higher up, leaving some 160 houses without running water. The nearest alternative water source was a long hike away.
A woman picks up pieces of her destroyed homee
Upon arrival, we handed over the food supplies and our crew was split into two groups: one to check out the water system, the other to shovel houses out of the dirt and assist with reconstruction where possible. The shoveling looked a daunting and depressing task. What had been a small stream on a mountain slope, had grown to a rushing river of mud sprawling 20 to 30 feet across, levying trees, rocks, chunks of house, and a thick layer of personal debris. By the time we arrived there to help, the mud had congealed into a motionless sludge. The amount of work necessary to free the houses from their solidified mud baths was far more than our lively but small crew would manage in a day.
Further up the slope, where houses and a grain store with 76 bags of grain had been wiped out, little green shoots from the scattered maize seeds had started to sprout in the mud, like a sad little offer of 3 quetzales, where 300 000 were needed.
Corn shoots from destroyed grain shed
Our water assessment group first surveyed the pipes down by the community. PVC pipes of 1/2” inch diameter carried water from a holding tank and diverged to various groups of local houses. One of the pipes now completely dry, ran though a culvert which crossed beneath a main highway. Talking with Steve Crowe, AIDG’s Director of Technology, this seemed an almost hopefully bad location for the pipe as it appeared to be the most likely direction a landslide would head in. I say hopefully because as we surveyed the path of the pipes, we were looking for ways to improve the system. If AIDG were to supervise and fund the reconstruction of a new water system, we would attempt to increase the system’s resistance to future storms. This may be best achieved by installing the pipes on a less vulnerable route.
Broken pipe in the middle of a landslide
We headed further up the slope, and passed the site of the destroyed distribution tank. Previously, it had been fed by a large poliducto hose carrying water brought from smaller pipes that ran from about 10 different mountain springs, some as much as a three hour walk away. Everything at this point was dry. We continued on up the slope passing several pressure reducing manifolds that were also all dry.
At one point our path crossed a channel in the slope which was leaking water from the ground, suggesting that either a buried pipe had ruptured below or a new spring had opened up. Mostly however, the broken pipes that we encountered were split across more great landslides and were dry, indicating damage much further up the mountain, or complete redirection of the sources of water. A somewhat more grave situation than we had expected.
Another community’s broken spring box
Crossing the tumbling forest debris, it was evident that our previous assumption that deforestation was the cause of heavy landslides in this community, was not the case. Fully mature trees, rocks and roots, were caught in a frozen cascade down the mountain slope, and causes for specific areas of erosion were not at all apparent. So designing a more flood resistant system was looking tricky.
Finally we reached a fresh water mountain stream with several tubes run across it, two of them broken, but one at least with water pouring from one end carried from another stream further up the path. Our guides told us that this was the first of the many little sources of water which were scattered over the mountain side. We would need at least a full day of hiking to survey the full extent of the damage so as to begin a plan for repairs. We rejoined our companions below, an exhausted group with blistered hands, who had made a valiant dent in the side of the mountain of mud; and headed home with a better understanding of the devastation of Agatha.
AIDG volunteers taking a break from digging
I am not sure how plans to repair the pipelines will go. Replacement of the existing system as it is will be expensive. However with the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes in Guatemala, and the country´s record of natural disaster in general, the need for a more reliable and resistant system is with question.
Guatemala Emergency Appeal after Tropical Storm Agatha
Searching for survivors in a mudslide. Photo by Mercado Global
Dear AIDG Friends and Supporters,
Tropical storm Agatha, the first major storm of the 2010 Hurricane season has slammed Guatemala with devastation not seen since Hurricane Stan in 2005. The destruction has hit every department in Guatemala. According to Guatemalan government, tens of thousands of people are now homeless. Roads, bridges, water and food distribution have been severely disrupted. AIDG immediately responded by helping dig out houses in the Quetzaltenango department where we are based, but most of the damage has happened near Lake Atitlan.
AIDG is sent a team down last week to work with the Lake Atitlan based organization Mercado Global to assess damage and coordinate repairs on water systems for communities. Water is a critical need as pipes have been washed away and local water systems have been damaged. Here is a quote from Steve Crowe our Technology Director about the water system in Xaquijya.
“Things got a little more complicated when we walked the pipeline from the distribution tank to the springs. They had just assumed that it was broken in one part near the springs, but as we walked we passed 5 landslides where the pipe had broken . . . The complicated part would be in protecting the pipe that we put in; we’d have to cross those same landslide areas, which would be high risk for sure.”
He estimates a need for an immediate $30,000 to aid in water system rebuilding and another $15,000 for us to help repair hydro-electric systems damaged in the storm.
For AIDG, the twin disasters in both Haiti and Guatemala present the greatest challenge we have ever faced. We are supporting responses to both a once-in-a-decade storm and a once-in-a-century earthquake within a few months of each other. As most of you know, AIDG is not a direct relief agency so we have no budget for emergencies like this and rely on gifts at the time of the event to respond. But in our focus on infrastructure, we play a vital role in disaster response and development of community resiliency. We look to you to help us continue this work.
We need your help to respond to this disaster.
If you cannot give now, we ask that you consider giving a little bit of time to AIDG. One major source of funding for AIDG’s disaster response in Haiti has been corporate donations. This comes largely based on employee recommendations to a corporate giving department or to a small business owner. Please consider giving a lunch break to call your company’s charitable division to see if they have funds ($500 - $10,000) you could recommend to AIDG. Email us an introduction and we will be glad to send them detailed information on our programs. Corporate giving departments largely operate based on employee suggestions.
Thank you all for everything you have done over the years to help us build this program, and our capacity to respond in these emergencies. Please hold the families affected by this tragedy in your hearts and thoughts.
We’re about to kick off publicity for GuateVerde 2010, but you may be wondering what happened to our finalists from 2009. Here’s a quick look at what they are up to now.
Our winner, Quetsol, has a meeting with the First Lady next week for a possible outreach contract with the government placing photo-voltaic kits in homes.
Our special investment,Flowercin/Altec, is now Grupo Proamba - the name Altec turned out to be taken. They are nearly finished with their legalization process and are setting themselves up to include vermicomposting in their production techniques.
Set Renova has taken over a local business called Casa Solar. They are considering entering GV2010 to expand this business.
Sistema Electricas is still hard at work doing diagnostics and has expanded their business to include a series of feasibility studies.
Ingecofun has not moved forward with their idea beyond the competition.
Reciclaje PET has not moved forward with their idea beyond the competition either.
AIDG’s Technology R&D Program is pleased to present a new series of technical documents that have been produced during various projects we have worked on in the last 5 years. During the first 3 years of the program, the documentation was produced in a haphazard way, but around the beginning of 2008 we realized that that wasn’t going to provide a good base for future work the way that more systematic documentation could. Since that point, we have tried to document projects more thoroughly as they are ongoing, so that the information isn’t lost and we and others can build on the work that has been done. During the last year, we have been extremely lucky to have intern Ben Dana undertake the arduous task of pulling together information from many of the previous projects and put into one place.
In presenting these documents, we would like to accomplish two things. First, we would like to provide anyone who is interested the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and our successes, to see a bit of the process we have gone through in different development projects, and apply those lessons to their own projects. Second, we would like to tap into the worldwide appropriate technology community and stimulate further development of the technologies we have worked with.
We’re still developing a plan for how to best stimulate this type of development. In the next few months, we hope to pursue alliances and implement tools to allow the information to spread as far as possible, to encourage people to do further work, and to provide a forum for discussion of that work and presentation of results. In the meanwhile, we’d like to present several documents, and we invite everyone to comment on them, on anything and everything that comes to mind. We’re looking for feedback on format, appearance, the type and quantity of information that the documents contain, and anything else.
Mitchell-Banki turbine
These are the documents we will be presenting over the following weeks:
Picohydro Bucket Generator
Build Manual
Turbine Performance Testing Results
Alternator Performance Testing Results
Serpentine Solar Water Heater
Build Manual in English and Spanish
Design Manual in English and Spanish
Rocket Box Stove
Build Manual in English and Spanish
Design Manual in English and Spanish
Jan Portegjis’ Hummingbird Electronic Load Controller
Our experience with the circuit and modifications we have made, in English and Spanish
Condensed Design Manual in Spanish
Mitchell-Banki Turbine
Design Manual
Fabrication Manual
Project Summary from Corazon del Bosque Installation
Waste Oil Foundry
Design Manual
Build Manual
Pelton Turbine
Our experience with the turbine and modifications we have made of Practical Action’s design
Manufacturing guide
Project Design Document from Nueva Alianza Installation
For each of the technologies we will be doing a blog post, and the documents will be linked to from the blog post. I hope that you all enjoy the documents, that they are useful, and most of all that you tell us what you think.
Tonight we’re having our 5th annual holiday party. Can you believe it? It’s been five years since AIDG got started with $800 and a bag of tools. We’ve accomplished a lot in a short amount of time and we couldn’t have done it without you.
Our holiday party is how we say thanks to all our friends, colleagues and supporters. So if you are in the Boston area come mingle and get an update on the work you helped make happen. If you’re new to the AIDG community or want to be a part of it, don’t be shy! Come out and meet everybody. Hear the stories first hand.
Come Celebrate with us
LOCATION: Our office space in Chinatown.
33 Harrison Avenue, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02111 DATE: Tuesday Dec. 29, 2009
TIME: 6PM -9 PM
RSVP: Cat Laine claine@aidg.org 800-401-3860 x703
Directions:
On the T From the Orange Line: Stop at Chinatown. Exit near intersection of Essex St and Washington St. Go East on Essex towards Chinatown. Make first right on Harrison Ave. If you hit Beach Street, you’ve gone too far.
From the Green Line: Stop at Boylston Street. Exit near intersection of Boylston St and Tremont St. Walk East on Boylston/Essex St 2 blocks (away from the Common). Take a right on Harrison Ave. If you hit Beach Street, you’ve gone too far.
From the Red Line: Stop at Downtown Crossing. Exit near intersection of Summer St and Washington St. Go Southwest on West on Washington St towards Park Street. Turn Left on Essex. Make first right on Harrison Ave. If you hit Beach Street, you’ve gone too far.
AIDG biodigester intern, Christopher Salam, talks about his work with us in 2009. Chris has been assisting on biogas field visits, building and managing the demo biodigester installations at AIDG’s Guatemala office and testing biodigester effluent enrichment through vermicomposting.
AIDG Micro-Hydroelectric Intern Will Stone talks about his work with us in Guatemala. Will assisted in the upgrade of a Pelton Turbine at the Nueva Alianza community and designed a Mitchell Banki Turbine for use at the Corazon del Bosque ecopark.
After months of competition, over 30 hours of business development training, and endless hours of practicing business pitches on October 24, 2009 six talented teams presented their business plan proposals in the final phase of AIDG’s business plan competition: GuateVerde 2009.
Needless to say, with such strong competitors and outstanding presentations, choosing a winner was not easy but it is with great pleasure that AIDG announces this year’s GuateVerde winner, Quetsol.
Quetsol is a new business that will provide high efficiency, low cost solar technologies that aim to increase access to basic illumination, electricity generation, and water pumping in Guatemala. Their mission is to help their clients save money and improve their quality of life through the use of appropriate technology.
Who are Quetsol?
Quetsol’s Director of Technology and Finance, Manuel Aguilar, holds a Master’s Degree in astrophysics and a Bachelor’s Degree in astrophysics and physics from Harvard University. His work experience includes founding and managing a global-macro hedge fund, working as a quantitative analyst for a private equity group, as well as significant astrophysics research.
Director of Marketing and Sales Juan Rodriguez has a Business Administration degree from the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City with an emphasis in finance and marketing. For the past four years, he had worked as a marketing manager for Proctor & Gamble Interamericas and formally owned and managed his own advertising agency.
The third member of the Quetsol team is Matthew King, their Director of Logistics and Operations. Mr. King is a recent graduate of Harvard University with a Bachelor’s degree in the Comparative Study of Religion. His studies have also taken him to Cuba, via the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, and Japan. His work experience includes solar photovoltaic and biodigestor installations in Nicaragua, appropriate infrastructure development advocacy in Brazil, and activism against deforestation in California.
Manuel Antonio Aguilar and Juan Fermín Rodríguez
Samples of Quetsol’s proposed product line
AIDG is greatly looking forward to working with this talented team and continuing in our mission to increase access to basic energy through local business support. Congratulations to Quetsol and thank you to all the staff, volunteers, reviewers, judges and supporters who made GuateVerde 2009 a huge success!
GuateVerde 2009 Judges: Ing. Saúl Santos, Dr. Dennis Rodas, Ruth Degolia, Peter Haas, Cat Lainé, Lic. Juan Molina
AIDG, P.O. Box 104, Weston, MA 02493. Phone: 800-401-3860 Fax:
866-450-8016. AIDG, Inc. is a 501c (3) non-profit organization.
We would never rent, sell or exchange your email. Read our privacy
statement for more information.
![Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to Del.icio.us](http://www.aidg.org/components/com_jd-wp/wp-content/plugins/social_bookmarks/delicious.png "Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to Del.icio.us")
![Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to digg](http://www.aidg.org/components/com_jd-wp/wp-content/plugins/social_bookmarks/digg.png "Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to digg")
![Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to FURL](http://www.aidg.org/components/com_jd-wp/wp-content/plugins/social_bookmarks/furl.png "Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to FURL")
![Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to reddit](http://www.aidg.org/components/com_jd-wp/wp-content/plugins/social_bookmarks/reddit.png "Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to reddit")
![Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to Stumble Upon](http://www.aidg.org/components/com_jd-wp/wp-content/plugins/social_bookmarks/stumbleupon.png "Add 'Tropical Storm Agatha: AIDG responds - Xaquijyá Update [06/12/10]' to Stumble Upon")
