Community Engineering: Water Supply Development in Rural Samoa
Annual Conference
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Between 2010 and 2012, Blue Barn Consulting Ltd undertook two major rural water supply projects in Samoa.
The Samoa Water Authority (SWA) project involved the assessment of long term water source and network options in South-east Upolu, as a result of damage from the September 2009 tsunami, where many of the population had moved uphill from the coastal network. The project included a master strategy for 15 relocated villages, comparison of lake, stream and groundwater sources, ecological investigations, consultation and detailed design of 38 km of pipeline and 7 storage reservoirs.
The Independent Water Schemes Association (IWSA) project involved the review of 5 previous upgrades and designs for 14 member villages across both islands. Many existing gravity schemes were inadequate, in poor condition with poor source quality.
Both projects provided environmental and technical challenges: network complexity, geology, terrain, climate and varying water quality from multiple sources. Also significant were unique relational challenges: disaster recovery, political, cultural, language, community governance, land ownership and institutional capacity in both the state owned and community setting.
It was our experience that project benefits were maximised by acknowledgement and active engagement with local culture, protocols and knowledge, and through comprehensive investigation of all possible options. Solutions were often developed through a relational methodology rather than a purely technical approach.