La Victoire Water Project

The village of La Victoire currently has a gravity fed water system designed and built by the Haitian Government in 1980. The current system is gravity fed from a natural spring leading down two-miles of unburied pipe to a cistern above the town. The spring provides 50 gpm but by the time the water gets to the town only 10 gpm of flow results. This is due to farmers who tap the pipes in order to irrigate their farmland. The water in the cistern was found potable, however, the water that reaches the town is not potable due to bacterial contamination along the pipe. Along with paying a monthly fee of 10 gourdes for the private connection, residents also purchase chlorine tablets in order to purify the water.

 

 

 

The town of La Victoire and the Haiti Outreach chapter at IIT wish to improve the system to provide potable water to the whole town. The students have been working on creating the first map of La Victoire using  GIS software and Google Earth Pro. A group of IIT students will be going to La Victoire in order to collect data and strengthen the relationship with the community.  The objectives of the trip are

1. To administer a community health assessment of the town.
2. To perform a geotechnical survey of possible cistern locations.
3. To test the quality of water from the current water source to make sure it’s still potable using a HACH test kit.
4. To map the potential locations of water kiosks.
5. To survey the population about the current water system and integrate their ideas in design of the new system.
6. To participate in everyday activities in La Victoire to educate ourselves about their culture.

 

Also, an official partnership between La Victoire’s officials and IIT students is being developed. Community involvement is key for the success and sustainability of the project. In the future a water committee in La Victoire will be established to maintain and ensure the success of the project.