EWB-UCL Brazil 2013
Our Aims
To work together with the inhabitants to construct and promote a self-sustainable Rural Aquaculture system.
The system would comprise of:
a) Rain water collection area (roof of the beneficiaries homes)
b) Conveyance system of canals and waterfalls to deliver the rainwater from the rooftop to the fish tank and/or pond.
c) Bio filtration boxes for water purification
d) Pond for water collection and primary storage from different water sources, as well as further water purification
e) Pump to deliver purified water to the storage tank
f) Elevated storage facilities for continuous water supply
g) Fish tanks for fish production.
The system would not only provide fish and vegetables for the beneficiaries but in the long term, could also be a source of additional income when surplus fish and vegetables are harvested.
Jardim de Gonzaga 2012 - An 'Aquaculture' Project​
Our Experience
We embarked on our project on 19th July 2012. Upon arrival in Sao Carlos, we were greeted by our contact from the NGO, Tiliano.
He immediately made us feel at ease and welcomed with his genuine and warm hospitality; hospitality that we later realised was inculcated at the heart of the Brazilian culture.
​
The first week was spent meeting the community and familiarizing ourselves with the project site. We were quickly faced with a problem as we had not been granted all of the land that we had thought would be at our disposal.
Nevertheless, through discussions with the community, we brainstormed alternatives to overcome the situation. These sessions brought to light some other problems faced by the community, including flooding of some houses during the rainy season due to its location. As a result, flood barriers were also built in the first week.
​
Our work continued for 3 weeks and despite hiccups, we remained optimistic and plummeted on, doing the most we could with the resources at our disposal. The determination possessed by Tiliano, the community and ourselves meant that by the end of week 3, two thirds of the project had been completed.
Lessons Learnt and Project Outcomes
To describe in detail, the experience, knowledge and outcomes obtained from the trip, would be endless.
The tangible outcomes of the project are the components of the system built and the sensitisation of the community on the functioning and operation of the different parts of the system. But beneath the surface, the project has enlightened the locals to a new form of technology and introduced an alternative, genuine and legal method of earning a living. Furthermore, through their labour, the locals were provided with bags of cement which they used after working hours to patch up and better their own houses.
The trip was a learning curve for us, in terms of both the engineering discipline, and life lessons.
Aside from knowledge that would prove invaluable in our engineering careers, we gained an insight into the Brazilian culture. Despite the language barrier, we observed and learnt other ways of thinking and different ways that things were interpreted and done in a Brazilian community.
Building Filtration Boxes
Building Water Tank