You have been lucky and obtained a summer job with the World Health Organization. Your assignment is to act as an engineering advisor to the mayor in a small village in Central America, located in the tropical coastal flatland. The village has 200 families, about 1500 people. The majority of the families carry their water in buckets from a nearby stream. The average carry is 500 m. About 25% of the families purchase their water from a local vendor at 4 cents/gal. Five of the wealthier families have private wells on their premises. Toilet facilities throughout the village are outdoor privies. The mayor informs you that there have been incidents of various kinds of sickness, which have been caused by the local sanitation situation. He asks you for suggestions to improve the situation.
a) What factors must you consider to determine whether a community water supply project should be undertaken?
b) Based on your basic knowledge of the different components of a water treatment system, suggest a system that could satisfy the need for this community.
c) What resources and services must the village mobilize and sustain to make a community water supply a successful venture?