PVC Pipeline Brings Running Water and Relief to Impoverished Honduran Village

COLINAS de SUIZA, HONDURAS, Oct. 25, 2011 – In Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere, many small villages do not have access to basic resources such as clean and affordable water.  Soon, PVC pipe provided by members of the Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association will deliver running water to every home here.  

Before this partnership, villagers spent up to half of their family income to purchase barrels of water delivered by trucks.  Worse yet, the water was often improperly handled, sometimes resulting in contamination.

In 2004, the Humanitarian Engineering Program of the Colorado School of Mines began designing a water distribution plan for the village, with plans to replace the existing water delivery system by pumping water from a nearby well into a storage tank.  Gravity would take over to bring home delivery of the water, at 1/50th of the cost, while eliminating contamination and reducing energy consumption by 95 percent.  Other institutions, universities, and organizations also contributed money and goods to the project, including 11 members of the Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association.

The engineers specified PVC pipe for its durability, proven success in handling drinking water for more than 70 years, ease and safety in installation, and affordability.  PPFA members provided more than 72 tons of PVC materials including 146,000 feet of piping,  6,000 fittings, 1,825 valves, 182 gallons of primer and solvent cement, and the services of an experienced installation supervisor, for a total market value exceeding $150,000. 

The pipe installation began in 2008, with 75 percent of the village families contributing an average of $100, or 13 days’ wages for the average Honduran laborer, for construction of the water storage tank and pumping system.  Many of them volunteered to help with the installation. 

While setbacks included on-site material thefts, the sudden death of the municipal director of Water and Sanitation, three different mayors overseeing the project, and occasional budget shortfalls, all of these challenges were met and overcome.  Seven years from conception to completion, the 8,000 people of Colinas de Suiza can now enjoy what many take for granted – clean running water in their homes.

For more information on the Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association, go to: www.ppfahome.org.

The Vinyl Institute represents the leading manufacturers involved in the production of PVC vinyl in the United States, and promotes the value of PVC and vinyl products to society. 

For more information, contact:
Jeffrey B. Palmer
Director of Marketing & Communications
The Vinyl Institute
571-970-3327
jpalmer@vinylinfo.org

Also go to: www.vinylindesign.com, www.vinylinfo.org, and www.achievegreen.net.