Achinakom- A Tale of Rainwater for a cause by Elizabeth Thomas

Some key stats they bring up:

• Half of the water supply in rural areas (meaning 70% of the population’s water supply) is routinely contaminated with toxic bacteria.
• Groundwater supplies in many large cities is declining so rapidly it might disappear altogether in a few years. (source)
• India will need to double its water generative capacity by 2030 to meet growing demands from population growth.

The article highlights the vital service R4H provides by improving access to clean water in the dry season close to where the users live. As the article also says, although the government is increasing its investments in water infrastructure, it simply does not have the resources to provide clean water to all rural residents. R4H fills this gap in financially and environmentally sustainable ways.

We have many exciting updates to share!

• The last round of construction is officially over leaving 14 tanks on the ground now collecting water! And as a continuation of the successful engineering research done over the summer of 2012, we have started the prototyping process in India. By using a systematic test of metrics, our team in India is currently in the process of determining whether our new construction materials will be suitable for a new tank model.

• The team at Brown has been working hard to prepare its internal structure for a scalable future. As you can see, we have overhauled and revamped our website, and will now be posting weekly blog updates on our day to day work. The ultimate goal of the work done at Brown is to succeed in bringing Rainwater for Humanity into non-profit status under a fiscally sustainable business model. At this stage we would be able to sustain permanent positions in India, and expand our impact to other villages.

• One of our major successes in the attempt to expand our network was a request to present our work at the Unite for Sight conference in Yale in April. We are so excited for the opportunity to present our team and get our name out!

• Our India team also has exciting news: Mahatma Gandhi University was a winner in the Obama-Singh initiative (Obama-Singh Initiative). They were awarded $80,000 to facilitate international student research exchange. We plan on using the additional financial support to integrate our Brown and Indian teams through more frequent student trips.

Prototype testing is underway… which could bring a whole new angle to our current vending model and push us into a much more economically self-sustainable business plan!

We are working on our public image… and expect to update website and social media communications much more often. Keep an eye for new developments in our project, frequently updated data and pictures that will give new life to our work!

As we continue to grow… we are devising strategies to solve communications obstacles with India. Separated by language and 3,000 miles of ocean, sometimes it’s hard to talk to our on-the-field team. We are taking steps to implement a better internal system that will deliver tidier records and mutual team success.

We are always looking for new members… and we are recruiting on our home campus at Brown. Our efforts are geared towards finding passionate students to become involved in our project. Undoubtedly, their contributions will be a key component of our development!

Expansion and awareness in new regions… has emerged as a new priority. We want to promote our work and get the public enthusiastic about our project. You will see us in action at many networking conferences making new connections and gathering different perspectives. We also foresee expanding our team in India, and perhaps approaching new areas with our idea!

Wish us luck as we grow, and keep an eye for many more updates. We hope you are as excited for our coming operations as we are!

Sam’s summer research pinpointed the strongest mix of vegetable fibers and concrete to use in place of the traditional concrete mixture. We’re building a prototype of the tank in Achinakom; if successful, we will switch all future tanks to this model.

From our Global Giving page:

Incorporating coconut fiber into the cement mixture used in our rainwater harvesting tanks has been shown to be just as strong as the traditional mixture, but with a 40% projected material cost savings! Additionally, the coconut fiber is sourced locally, so is more environmentally friendly than other possible materials. This cost savings is crucial in expanding Rainwater for Humanity under an economically sustainable model.

Construction is progressing nicely, and the tanks should be ready in time to begin collecting rainwater during the summer rainy season.

We’re also working hard on lowering the costs of the tank to reduce the payback time for each water user group. We have not one but two teams working on designing veggie panels suitable for the tank design we’ve been using. Dr. Alan Harlam at Brown University and Dr. Hari Sur at a university in Kerala are leading teams of students in testing various compositions for the panels.

Stay tuned for more updates on the tank construction and panels!