Acerca de
Ecuador Program
Comuna Guangaje Water Resources Program
EWB Indianapolis is partnered with Trine University’s EWB Student Chapter to expand clean water access in a small, remote community in Ecuador. Comuna Guangaje is located at approximately 11,000’ elevation and about 3 hours southwest of Quito and is inhabited by indigenous people who continue to use the ancient Incan Quechua language. Weather conditions make for a brief and spotty rainy season in an otherwise arid, windswept landscape.
​
​
​
​
The mountains, however, present natural spring outputs that EWB is working aggressively to better harvest for increased clean water supply. Uniquely, the community was served some years ago by an international aid organization that implemented a community-wide network of water distribution pipes that are gravity-fed from large storage tanks. Unfortunately, the output of various springs into storage tanks was not sufficiently addressed, leaving the community in a significant water deficit most of the year.
​
The Indianapolis-Trine partnership’s first of four years of engagement in Comuna Guangaje, began with an assessment trip in 2017. All water sources were validated, unused source was improved, and one existing spring box catchment was rehabilitated in 2018. Improvements to the two primary spring catchments were made in 2019 by reconstructing the existing rock channels into French drains using perforated pipe, granular fill and geo-tech fabric and routing the spring flows to two existing water storage tanks. Anticipating the need for an additional spring source to the existing water storage tanks, a pump and pipeline was proposed from a new source to the existing water storage tanks. However, that plan was not implemented because permission to use the new source could not be obtained from the property owner. Also, the local municipality was developing a plan to construct a pump and pipeline system that could eventually serve the community. A subsequent and final trip in 2022 confirmed that the improvements made during the 2019 trip proved to substantially improve the existing spring flows and thus not requiring any additional sources.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
EWB-USA is in the process of establishing a country presence in Ecuador. This is in partnership with Engineers In Action (EIA), a sister international engineering organization well-established in South America, to facilitate a growing number of community projects there. Our chapters have a strong relationship with EIA that began in 2017.
​
Our implementation trips are typically a week in length (weekend to weekend) with the first day acclimatizing in Quito and the final day touring Quilatoa, an extinct volcano and national park near the community, on the return trip to Quito. We welcome new members to be part of the design and implementation processes. If interested, please contact us.
​
Various documents related to this program are at the links below:
​
​
​
​
​
