High atop the water tank, admiring the job well done, left to right - Dr Carlos Coral, Sub Director Ministry of Health Loreto - Demas Parana, elected Nuevo Progresso Municipal Representative to the District of Fernando Lores - Rafael Gomez, Rotary Club Iquitos Sur, Fernando Lores Water project representative 2005-2010 - Pablo Guerra, APECA Field Project Supervisor - Dr Eduardo Velasco DDS, Rotary Club Iquitos Sur, Vice President 2005-2006

From the left, Eduardo Velasco,Vice President Rotary Club Iquitos Sur, Pablo Guerra, Field Project Supervisor APECA, Regina Low, APECA Peru Board President. July 24, 2005 Nuevo Progresso Clean Water Project Inauguration.

Pablo and Rafael Gomez sign the 'acta de entrega' designating the stipulations of the use of the water project.

The freshly painted tank proudly displays the symbols of Rotary and APECA - the two organizations responsible for its existence.

Alberto Rios performs a final inspection of the water tank. Now he will be able to accurately estimate costs for additional tanks. The cement pad on which he is standing is an additional feature which became clearly necessary during construction of the prototype. The decision to build a prototype has proven to be critical in the development of an effective public health system in the Jungle.

A water level, seen above the faucet is needed to keep people from looking into the tank. Education is being provided as part of the project and is considered the highest priority in the delivery of clean water to the individual in their home. On Sunday at 1 PM July 24, 2005 there will be an "opening" ceremony in Nuevo Progresso - a "ribbon cutting", if you will. APECA, The Rotary Club Iquitos Sur, local authorities and Dr. Coral of the Ministry of Health will all be present for the ceremony. Remember that these people will travel by boat up the Amazon from Iquitos for the ceremony.

Cement is mixed by hand for the concrete pad that will sit in front of the water tank. When water finally started to flow the ensuing mud puddle made it clear that something had to be done about the water collection area. Pablo (cream cap) is project supervisor of the construction and works along with volunteers from the village while Gayle Jansen of FOX Channel 10 in Phoenix films for a documentary.

The huge concrete and steel tank sits to the back and to the left of the school. During the flood season occasionally the river water will rise almost to the base of the tank. The pile of sand in the foreground is waiting for the installation of the cement slab that will be laid in front of the tank. This provides a clean area for the activities of collecting water which will be carried by hand to homes in many local area villages.

Here we get a closer view of the oversized custom made steel gutters and downspout designed to maximize the rainwater harvest from the school roof.

Alberto Rios (white cap) and Gina Low (straw hat) surrounded by local villagers look up at the tank. Dana Roberts has climbed to the top of the tank and is taking pictures.

At long last Ney, the cement mason for the Fernando Lores Clean Water Prototype cups his hands to catch the clean rainwater from the tank he has helped build. It is cool, clean and fresh on a hot day in the Amazon.

Innocente enters the tank through the only opening which will be covered with an over lapping lid to prevent light from entering the water storage area. Rain gutters, custom made in Iquitos, wait to be attached to the edge of the school roof with curved iron hangers.

Inside the tank the tiled walls reflect the camera flash through the forest of support poles, while the concrete slowly hardens.

Construction continues in the jungle. The huge concrete and steel water tank nears completion. Finishing touches on the cement surfaces and the installation of a concrete pad covering the ground under the water dispensing area are still needed. Closer inspection shows pieces of new gutter lying around waiting for installation on the school.

Here beside the smiling faces of visitors and villagers we can see the brackets installed on the side of the school roof ready to receive the new oversized gutters. This half of the school roof at Nuevo Progreso can deliver roughly 14,000 gallons rainwater for drinking per month.

Architect Alberto Rios (white cap) does some field instructions with a bit of chalk and some old planks. Alberto has designed and built luxury hotels and many significant buildings in Iquitos yet his passion for Peru and its people guides him to the jungle to watch over our project.

In Iquitos, Antonio Maldanado reviews the educational materials that will be used to teach the population using the clean water from the tank in Nuevo Progreso. Culturally specific materials are being used by APECA Vigilantes de Salud (Health Workers), Parteras (Midwives), teachers in local schools and Ministry of Health Employees who are trained technicians in Puesta's de Salud (Health Stations) and volunteers from Rotary Club Iquitos Sur. Years of experience have taught APECA board members that the success to any project is extensive education in the field one-on-one with the people. Very few inhabitants have contact outside their village and many adults are non literate.

Here is just a small reminder of the problem we face with unsafe water. Raw sewage is dumped into the bay of the Rio Itaya where it enters the Rio Amazonas. There are no sewer treatment facilities in any part of Loreto which constitutes fully 1/3rd of Peru.

At Nuevo Progreso in the Amazon rainforest of Peru construction has started on a 5,000 gallon concrete water tank that will collect rainwater from the local school roof. Clean water is not available in these remote areas and many die as a result. However, thousands of gallons of clean water falls from the sky almost daily (8"/month).

While working in the jungle in June of 2004, Dr. Andy Crawford (Industry Hills Rotary Club, District 5300) in conjunction with Gina Low, Executive Director of APECA (Association Promoting Education and Conservation in Amazonia) conceived of this approach to deliver clean rainwater to the many small villages in the District of Fernando Lores, Loreto, Peru. Other Rotarians including Apple Valley Rotary Club (District 5300), West Santa Rosa Rotary Club (District 5130), The Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise (District 5130) as well as Matsen Insurance Brokers, Santa Rosa have all stepped forward to support the project.

This pilot project is the first of thirty needed to serve the District. It represents the Prototype from which we will learn a great deal about collecting and distributing clean water in the Jungle.

Above, the foundation and supporting pillars are in the ground. Rebar and forms are placed to pour the support wings for the tank.

Construction continues on the water tank at Nuevo Progreso, Peru. Below we see the construction crew in front of the water tank. APECA Projects Coordinator Pablo is in the back row second from right. Note the extensive rebar cage to support the cement walls of the tank.

The villagers have been very cooperative in helping to carry materials from the river to the building site.

The construction crew encourages participation with tasks according to the ability of volunteers so that the villagers can gain experience with these building materials.

Here we see the crew forming the rebar for the construction of the tank and it's top. The long pieces of rebar will be bent over the top after the sides are poured. Then the top will be poured after the tiles are installed on the interior walls.

The tedious task of forming the rebar for the tank goes on as the children watch. This is an exciting event for the whole village.

The following picture gives one a better idea of the long pieces of rebar that will be bent to form the top of the tank. Note the wall of the school building that will catch the water for the project.

Later you will see the rain gutter become the tubing for the collection system. The pieces of thatch that you see at the top of the photo are the roof of the kitchen that stood at the side of the school building until yesterday. Making way for the water project, they have moved it to a more appropriate location.

In the last issue we discussed the very real problem of unsafe drinking water in the Amazon Eden. More than 99% of the inhabitants do not have access to clean water. One child in five under the age of five dies of water related illness. Over half the deaths in the district are due to waterborne disease.

There are thousands of gallons of fresh, clean, safe drinking water falling from the sky almost every day in the Amazon Rainforest. Our vision is to harvest this bounty and redistribute it to the local population. We will build a model system using a Primary School roof in the district to catch the rain. These schools are focal points for the local community and they do take great pride in their education and the education of their children.

The model we wish to design and build is a simple, cost effective, locally managed rainwater catchment system using - as much as possible - local materials. Learning and experience gained from the design, construction and operation of this prototype can then be used to create an engineering/education package that can be commissioned in 30 communities in the district of Fernando Lores.

The roof of The Primary School at Nuevo Progreso has been selected as the catchement site for our first project. This corrugated tin roof area of roughly 5,200 square ft can deliver on average 27,000 gallons rainwater per month. This should service the 300 inhabitants and more when school is in. Involving the schools significantly raises the respect, interest and participation of the local people. Also, the prototype will serve as a proving ground where new technologies can be tested.

Funding efforts are underway. We need $10,000 for the prototype and eventually about $210,000 for the other 30 communities in the rest of the district of Fernando Lores. There will be more to come on this in the next issue.

Dr. Andy Crawford, Director of the Board, APECA - USA.