Launched! Salitrillo Cistern Project

Day One - 13th September 2016

When Lee Carter and I arrive, the Salitrillo cistern build team had already laid out a base layer of chicken wire. As a first-time visitor to a cistern pilot, I’m excited to learn the basics of ferro-cement cistern construction.

Once completed, the cistern will hold 12,000 liters, harvesting enough water during one rainy season to serve all of the potable water needs, both drinking and cooking, for a family of 6-8 for a year.

It turns out that the metal structural elements of the cistern walls form a kind of layer cake—a layer of chicken wire folded over a layer of heavy-gauge iron mesh, then covered with a second layer of chicken wire all woven neatly together. Or rather, a layer cake that rolls up into a cylinder to create the walls of the cistern which are then set on a concrete base and lined with a temporary barrier of bendy plywood designed to support the application of an exterior coat of concrete until it dries.

Members of the community are hard at work weaving the chicken wire together under the watchful eye of Señor Abel, a technical expert from CEDESA in charge of teaching community members the basics of cistern construction. 

What stands out for me right away is the ratio of women to men in the work group: most of the team consists of women. And it’s obvious, that the team is already a well-oiled machine. Tasks are carried out with little discussion and a light-hearted atmosphere prevails.

This Salitrillo Pilot is cistern number 48 out of 319 cisterns funded by the Rotary Club’s recent Global Grant (GG1524911) and implemented in collaboration with CEDESA and COCIRA. 

It’s the first cistern for this little community of just 52 families. A total of eight cisterns are planned for Salitrillo. Once the core group is trained, they will cooperate to assist their neighbors with subsequent cisterns. Señor Abel from CEDESA will then make weekly visits to monitor progress and ensure quality-control.

Guest post by Roger Brudno.

Nombre de Dios Cistern Project Completion Celebration – August 13, 2016

Approximately 50 people - friends & neighbors - came together today to celebrate the completion of the last of five cisterns. 

The night was full of rain & the road there was sometimes good & sometimes a muddy slip-sliding mess, but a 90 minute drive got us there. The day was overcast with a breeze & chairs were set up in a large circle under a large Mesquite tree. The view to the west to get to Guanajuato was beautiful. Everything green from recent rains. The cisterns already had 2 feet of water.

After thanks to the people coming, CEDESA, COCIRA, & Rotary Club Midday, the people all held hands & gave (one at a time) thanks. Some took longer but you were allowed to pass the “prayer” to the next person. 

The nice thing about travelling is seeing how people are the same but different. This prayer circle was a perfect example. They all held hands left under and right over. After “prayer” we all went to three cisterns close by & had ribbon cutting with the owners. 

One elderly woman, instead of materials for a cistern, received a tinaco (large plastic container) because she would not be able to do the work of building a cistern. 

Lunch was a potluck type where all families come together with rice, tortilla, mole, beans, macaroni & ham, beef, horchata (a rice drink with cinnamon), & pineapple water.

Lee Carter, Nate Fultz, Beatriz Salcedo from Rotary attended as did Carla Cadena, intern/administrator of GG1524911.

Guest Report by Nate Fultz, President Midday Rotary Club SMA

Vivienda de Abajo – 12 cisterns project GG1422619 & Amigas de Vivienda

Materials are being supplied by a private group calling themselves “Amigas de Vivienda”. Rotary is financing the education, training and  project management through GG1422619.

Progress at Vivienda is going well. The pilot is finished & now all wrapped up in plastic sheeting to allow the cement to cure at a slower rate which should increase its strength as well as reduce hairline cracking that sometimes takes place with ferro-cement construction. It is an experiment & I am curious to see if it works. Cisterns 2 & 3 are almost complete.

We have put several new innovations into practice with this project:

1. painted the galvanized nipples with Eco-Prim a special material that will allow the cement to adhere to the galvanized.
2. added a more “convenient” first flush mechanism that will likely result in more people using the first flush as a way to divert water from a dirty roof.
3. plan to add a cement pad under the first flush so a tambor (barrel) can be placed there to collect this water for non-cooking & non-drinking uses. The pad will also discourage erosion around the cistern.
4. produced a sizing chart so families will know how much water to divert.
5. improved the door design for ease of installation
6. added mosquito netting to the overflow pipe.
7. will put a cement pad under the spigot to improve cleanliness and reduce chances of bio-contamination.
8. wrapping the cisterns with shrinkwrap.
9. changed from 3 inch PVC to 4 inch PVC for only a $115 peso price increase. This will make gutters capable of carrying more water & make the installation more secure.

Photos of the pilot cistern and cisterns 2 & 3 can be seen on this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/103368367507077443111/6276876235386985009

Lee Carter
San Miguel Midday Rotary.

March 28, 2016 COCIRA DIRECTOR’S MEETING CIENEGA DE JUANA RUIZ

10:00 am CIENEGA DE JUANA RUIZ

Today Lee Carter, Rotary, traveled to meet with the Directors of COCIRA & talk about the newly approved Global Grant (GG1524911) for 319 more cisterns in San Miguel, Dolores Hidalgo & San Diego Union. 

The grant is for US$199,400 (approx. MXN3,500,000).

There were approx 29 people present incl. Meche from CEDESA. After everyone presented themselves, we had a moment of reflection before beginning the meeting. A meeting leader was elected as well as the Secretary of the Day. Following that the agenda & a time schedule for finishing the meeting by 2:30 was established.

Meche emphasized the importance of COCIRA to continue to develop its independence & to look at CEDESA & Rotary as resources while they made their own decisions in things that affected the organization.

Lee Carter announced that the next grant for 319+ cisterns had been approved & explained that the Rotary Foundation would like to have a MOU with COCIRA and UCCANG in addition to CEDESA. This is important as it formalizes all of the responsibilities that COCIRA has been taking on over the course of the last water project. Lee presented the list of responsibilities that he recommended for the MOU & after discussing them in detail, COCIRA was in favor of all.

COCIRA for its part is asking Rotary to provide them with the didactic materials developed for the new grant so that they can use these as they continue to evaluate all of the cisterns built since 2008. COCIRA is committed to completing their role in the whole water harvesting process. As we have budgeted printing hundreds of extra copies of didactic materials in the next grant, I believe that we can provide them with what they need without having to increase our printing budget or seeking additional funding outside of the grant.

COCIRA further discussed the “rules & guidelines” that they would like to place on beneficiary families including a simple contract between COCIRA & the beneficiary that they would complete their obligations & work. Other rules were suggested that would ensure that beneficiaries completed their obligations in both the education program & in the construction process.

It is a great pleasure seeing COCIRA carrying out their role with such vigor & enthusiasm to ensure that this next project will be a great success.

Lee Carter

Rotary San Miguel Midday