Sinai, Darién, Panama
Sinai is a Wounaan community of about 400 people located along the Membrillo River in the Darién province of Panama. In the dry season, Sinai can be accessed by car. In the rainy season however, the highway washes out and a 3+ hour dugout canoe ride is required. On any given day, at almost all hours of the day, you can find a group of kids from Sinai playing in the nearby river. The men of Sinai mostly work in agriculture, but are always up to play a game of basketball after a long day of work. In fact, the neighboring villages of Mach Pobor and Canaan frequently send their own basketball teams to get in on the fun! The women of Sinai can often be found weaving together beautiful clothes or cooking delicious meals for their friends and family. Sinai is home to one of our most experienced Water Technicians, Eduardo, who is always ready with a joke to brighten the mood of everyone around him. We are proud to partner with the people of Sinai, and look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come!
POPULATION: 400
PROJECT: MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM
PROJECT COST: $10,000
PROJECT FUNDING: GRANT
phase 1
Phase 1 in Sinai consisted of installing a brand new functioning water system. We worked with a team of community volunteers to dig trenches for the distribution lines, dig the new well, and install a pump and water tank. This initial implementation phase brought clean water to the homes of every family in the community. We also worked with the water committee on proper maintenance techniques, and we trained community members on how to regularly clean the well, pump, and water tank.
PHASE 2
In early 2019, we received word from the community that the water had taken on an orange tint and a metallic taste. Upon testing the water in Sinai, we discovered a high concentration of iron was the root of the problem. To address this, we created an oxidation ramp that sits above the water tank to expose incoming water to oxygen before it enters the tank. This allows the iron to solidify in the water so it can then be filtered out. Once the installation of the ramp was complete, we performed a chlorine shock of the entire system to clean out the remaining bacteria. The work completed in this second phase increased the overall water quality of the system.
GALLERy
Field Notes
Watch our video on Solea Water’s project in Sinai to learn more about the community and to see the project in action!
