Engineers Without Borders (EWB)

Harvard EWB: Los Sanchez

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As part of Harvard's chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), I was involved in designing a water supply system in the village of Los Sanchez in the Dominican Republic. The existing water infrastructure in the region consisted of a pump that supplied ground water to three spigots for the entire community of 400 residents spread across 400 acres of land. This water system was unable to supply clean and reliable water to the community due to incomplete piping, intermittent electricity, and inadequate water storage.

At the onset of this project in 2015, we began communicating with the community to determine their needs and whether we would be a good partner to build out their water infrastructure. In 2016, I traveled to Los Sanchez along with seven other team members to conduct household surveys, collect geographical data, and test water samples. Using this data, I worked with a team of three other members to develop and model a preliminary design for a gravity-fed water distribution system that would supply water to every resident's home. The implementation of this design started in the summer of 2017 to connect about a third of the houses in the community to the water system. As of 2023, the entirety of Los Sanchez is connected to the water distribution system with additional water storage tanks for clean, reliable water.

A community meeting with residents of Los Sanchez in 2016 to discuss their needs, understand community dynamics, and establish collaborative goals.