Particle Technology Labs is very proud to announce a recent contribution to an Engineers Without Borders USA project. Engineers Without Borders USA is an organization which works with developing communities around the world to empower them to sustainably meet their basic human needs. This is achieved through several projects including building water supply facilities, civil works, sanitation, agriculture, energy and other municipal facilities.
The Project
The Hartford Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders USA was tasked to design and implement a potable water system for a community in Sabhung, Nepal. They planned to accomplish this by constructing the system with the aid of village residents. Once the water system was functional, the engineers would educate and train citizens to be self-sufficient in maintaining the newly constructed system.
Prior to having this water system, women and children in Sabhung had to collect and physically carry water on their backs from several difficult sources, which included traveling very long distances over treacherous terrain on foot. The journey took hours to complete, resulting in a significant impact to their daily life.
Particle Technology Labs Involvement
Engineers Without Borders USA contacted Particle Technology Labs to help with the important issue of water quality. Once the new water system was put into place, a problem arose. During monsoon season, the water became more turbid than normal. Standard sedimentation methods were not successful due to the broad particle size range and composition of the particles. Particle characterization testing was needed to determine the particle size and concentration, as well as the density of the particles suspended in the water. PTL used their years of experience in the field to perform this testing on the organization’s behalf. Information gained from this testing was then used in the design and creation of a filtration system to effectively clean the water as it is pumped to a central location within Sabhung.
Learn about the project and people of Sabhung
“It’s very gratifying to lend our analytical services to an organization whose main objective is to improve the quality of life for people in developing countries,” states William Kopesky, Director of Analytical Services at PTL. “It is easy to take for granted something as basic as clean water in our everyday lives. It is a tremendous opportunity for us to see directly how our results can impact a community in such a positive way.”
Since successful completion of the project, villagers have enjoyed their new and dramatically more convenient water supply. Through this improvement, they have used the reclaimed time for new purposes. Children can now spend more time in school acquiring a better education, which will enhance the future of their entire community. Sewing and weaving centers have been built where women are now able to earn an income by selling their crafts instead of spending hours to obtain water. The outcome has been truly dynamic both socially and economically for the community.
Particle Technology Labs is very pleased to have been able to help bring clean water to Sabhung, Nepal. This project also met the Engineers Without Borders USA’s continuing mission to improve the lives of those who had previously lacked basic human needs. PTL is honored to have been a part of a project that has given so much to an entire community.
To learn more about this project and the Engineers Without Borders organization, visit:
Hartford Professional Chapter, Engineers Without Borders USA
To read more about how PTL’s particle characterization services can benefit you, please contact us at 630.403.0127.
Image: Chemist Jakub Strycharz performing particle size and concentration analysis on PTL’s Particle Sizing System’s Accusizer 780/780AD Instrumentation.
