Project Overview

In 2017, Global Brigades completed a new water system in the community of Ochomogo alongside the local NGO Fundacion San Lucas. This system provides clean water to 200 beneficiaries.

Ochomogo, Nicaragua

Ochomogo is a rural community in which the majority of the population practices subsistence agriculture. In the past 5 years, Ochomogo had been affected by climatic variability in the form of drought caused by El Niño. El Niño is a climate phenomenon that affects the normal course of the rainy season. This caused a considerable reduction in the volume of water in the water sources and wells to the point that the majority of the artisanal wells in the community have dried. Agricultural production during two growing seasons has also been affected, resulting in harvest loss and food insecurity for both families and domestic farm animals.

The community used to have a gravity fed water system constructed by a governmental institution which supplied water to 22 households as well as a communal well that supplied water to 6 households in the past year. However, the volume of water in this well had also decreased, due to drought, resulting in the scarcity of water.

Water System Solution

With the contribution given to Fundación San Lucas by GB, which was necessary to finish the project, households now have reliable access to potable water through a solar-powered water system. This water system is composed of a drilled well, storage tank, water distribution network, and household water taps. The water pump is powered by solar energy in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease dependence on conventional electrical energy.

Water Project Stages

All stages of this water project have been completed.

1: Assessment
2: Design
3: Dam/Well & Tank Constructed
4: Piping & House Connections Installed
5: Water Council Trained
6: Project Completed & Doing Follow-up