The Lasstic project is a irrigation dam and pipeline that runs from a canal into a dry plain in Haiti not far from Port-au-Prince. It has been worked on since the 1960's. Our Church group's program CSI has been working on it on and off. A few years ago it got plugged and failed and CSI tried to give the system a major overhaul since the dam was buried underneath erosion and rocks. It proved to be costly and in need of professional skills that would cost more money. I had lived with Kevin Bronsons at the time when I first saw the project. He is a surveyor and at the time that is what they really needed to help plot out the details. It worked out later that his daughter went down there to work on the orphanage and he got introduced to the project. CSI offered the project to him to complete as it would take more money and time than CSI had to offer to the project. To get it completed Good News International was created to raise monies and organization to finish the project. Different brethren from all over from professional miners, welders, and construction workers offered their services to complete the project. The overall effort was to irrigate 1,500 acres and provide 1500 families with irrigation to feed their families. The number of people benefiting with wash and drinking water is hard to calculate. The bottom line is doing humanitarian work of its self is not going to get you to heaven, but James 4:17 says
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
and it should be a joy to help others when so little can do so much. (not meaning to belittle the efforts and sacrifices of the volunteers)
Kevin Bronson Reports from Haiti:
1st Update
Saturday morning in Fond Parisien -
Our construction work here is about done. The canal and gates are completed. We have flow tested the pipe, and it is clear. We have installed fountains in two villages and made the locals very happy. One of those villages has previously had a two hour walk each way for water that included about a 2000' elevation gain empty, and back down with a full five gallon bucket.
There are two sand settling rooms along the pipeline called desable. They have an interior dimension of about 30'x12'x8', and they were completely filled with sand and silt. They are buried at the same depth as the pipeline (down about 20') and are accessed thru a manhole type hole that goes down about 10' to the top of the desable. We provided a rope and pail, and the locals are taken responsibility for cleaning them out. They have been working diligently, but it is very slow with a bucket lowered by hand, somebody shoveling it full, hand over hand back up, and finally shaking it out away from the hole.
One of our guys thought up a rig built from a 55 gallon steel drum that we hang from the wrist pin on the excavator on a hinge system. We lower the bucket down to the bottom, six men are waiting with their five gallon buckets filled with silt. A few extra buckets and up comes the barrel. The guys rigged it so it dumps by curling the bucket. Our best production is about seven min cycle times.
Yesterday the guys got dug down about 4', and there is about 2.5' left to go for today. As soon as the silt is cleaned out, the concrete lid we cast earlier in the week will be swung into place, and that desable will be ready for service. We expect to run the water all weekend, and then resume with cleaning out the other desable on Monday.
We have made arrangements for a big community meeting for February 17, the first date all parties could agree to. We expect to have a committee elected at that meeting, and then will probably have a short training time after that.
Monday - this didn't get sent over the weekend. This morning word came down that one of the fountains isn't running, so we probably have another plug to figure out.
Saturday morning in Fond Parisien -
Our construction work here is about done. The canal and gates are completed. We have flow tested the pipe, and it is clear. We have installed fountains in two villages and made the locals very happy. One of those villages has previously had a two hour walk each way for water that included about a 2000' elevation gain empty, and back down with a full five gallon bucket.
There are two sand settling rooms along the pipeline called desable. They have an interior dimension of about 30'x12'x8', and they were completely filled with sand and silt. They are buried at the same depth as the pipeline (down about 20') and are accessed thru a manhole type hole that goes down about 10' to the top of the desable. We provided a rope and pail, and the locals are taken responsibility for cleaning them out. They have been working diligently, but it is very slow with a bucket lowered by hand, somebody shoveling it full, hand over hand back up, and finally shaking it out away from the hole.
One of our guys thought up a rig built from a 55 gallon steel drum that we hang from the wrist pin on the excavator on a hinge system. We lower the bucket down to the bottom, six men are waiting with their five gallon buckets filled with silt. A few extra buckets and up comes the barrel. The guys rigged it so it dumps by curling the bucket. Our best production is about seven min cycle times.
Yesterday the guys got dug down about 4', and there is about 2.5' left to go for today. As soon as the silt is cleaned out, the concrete lid we cast earlier in the week will be swung into place, and that desable will be ready for service. We expect to run the water all weekend, and then resume with cleaning out the other desable on Monday.
We have made arrangements for a big community meeting for February 17, the first date all parties could agree to. We expect to have a committee elected at that meeting, and then will probably have a short training time after that.
Monday - this didn't get sent over the weekend. This morning word came down that one of the fountains isn't running, so we probably have another plug to figure out.
Second Update
We are officially done the construction of the Lastic Project! Last night the last desable was cleaned out and sealed shut, and the water is running!
Now we are looking ahead to the water use, and to turning the system over to the water committee, which we are in the process of helping to form. The water will serve about five existing Zones (sub areas within the community). Each Zone is in the process of forming a water committee to handle the day to day distribution within the Zone. Each committee will also nominate two members to an oversight committee, which will be in charge of the system maintenance, determining the amount to charge per acre for water, and the canal operation and security in the canyon. Neil has turned politician because he is the only one with the necessary culture and language skills. Its not a job he enjoys, but he's doing what he can.
This process will culminate with the arrival of our Animator (something between an ambassador and a master of ceremonies) on Feb 14. Sometime on the 15th we will have a meeting with the entire community in which the nominees will be presented, and the entire group will select one nominee from each Zone to be on the Master Committee. Then we get down to the task of writing the by laws, and training the committee in the system operation.
All the farmers are hard at work watering their fields. On Sunday Neil was trying to get folks to commit to working in the desable on Monday, but everyone said they wanted to be irritating and couldn't come! We solved that problem by turning off the water to work in the desable, and we had plenty of hands available, because they knew the water was off until it was cleaned out.
Between now and the meeting we will be helping with some maintenance on the distribution system, and with wrapping up our affairs. I have committed to making a map of the Zones for area calculations and general management use, and I have some survey work to do for Raymond on a road and bridge project he has going near Miragoane, about 3.5 hours to the west. If things continue to work out, we anticipate returning the last full week of February.
Now we are looking ahead to the water use, and to turning the system over to the water committee, which we are in the process of helping to form. The water will serve about five existing Zones (sub areas within the community). Each Zone is in the process of forming a water committee to handle the day to day distribution within the Zone. Each committee will also nominate two members to an oversight committee, which will be in charge of the system maintenance, determining the amount to charge per acre for water, and the canal operation and security in the canyon. Neil has turned politician because he is the only one with the necessary culture and language skills. Its not a job he enjoys, but he's doing what he can.
This process will culminate with the arrival of our Animator (something between an ambassador and a master of ceremonies) on Feb 14. Sometime on the 15th we will have a meeting with the entire community in which the nominees will be presented, and the entire group will select one nominee from each Zone to be on the Master Committee. Then we get down to the task of writing the by laws, and training the committee in the system operation.
All the farmers are hard at work watering their fields. On Sunday Neil was trying to get folks to commit to working in the desable on Monday, but everyone said they wanted to be irritating and couldn't come! We solved that problem by turning off the water to work in the desable, and we had plenty of hands available, because they knew the water was off until it was cleaned out.
Between now and the meeting we will be helping with some maintenance on the distribution system, and with wrapping up our affairs. I have committed to making a map of the Zones for area calculations and general management use, and I have some survey work to do for Raymond on a road and bridge project he has going near Miragoane, about 3.5 hours to the west. If things continue to work out, we anticipate returning the last full week of February.
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