The document summarizes a project to address water issues in the city of Nkambe, Cameroon. Nkambe has a population of over 5,000 but experiences severe water shortages and erosion issues, especially during dry seasons. This leads to high risks of waterborne diseases. The project involves installing an integrated water system including solar panels to power a submersible pump, piping to transport water to a storage tank, and a biosand filtration system to purify the water. It will be implemented in a 7-day period along with an educational workshop to teach locals how to build and maintain the system using local resources sustainably.

1. Site Background
Nkambe is known to be one of the driest cities with a
population of over 5000 people in the Northwest region
of Cameroon, Africa. The wet seasons cause massive
erosion in the area while the dry seasons result in
depleted water across the area with lateritic soil.
There are high risks of waterborne diseases, such as
typhoid and meningitis, due to water contamination,
especially during the dry seasons because there is not
enough water to refresh the area.
Program Model Steps
1. Create model design for integrative system
2. Implement Primary System in Target Site. The team will visit the
region in a 7 day period where the system will be installed and
presenting an educational workshop.
3. Conduct Post-Implementation Survey. Testing both the integrity
of the system and the retention of understanding the system.
4. Create Viable Report for Potential Partnerships.
5. Fund Further Implementation of Systems.
The project began as a result of Farmer
Tantoh, a local community leader,
reaching out to us to help their village
with regaining access to a cleaner, local
source of ground water.
Biosand Filtration System
(Purification of the Water)
It is composed of a BioSand Filter which eliminates
solids and pathogens by mechanical trapping,
absorption and natural death.
Electrical Design
Solar panels will be used to power a .5 HP submersible
pump, which is placed in the well with a 3” diameter
piping at the apex of the well’s cover. The power goal
of the system is to pump water from the well into a
raised 5000L tank (located 5m from the ground) at a
minimum rate of 10gpm, which will export water into
the filtration system.
Educational Workshop
The Cameroon Empowerment Program aims to
teach practical skills to the local agricultural
students utilizing local resources as well as how to
build and sustain such a high tech system.
The Science Behind
Everything: Solar
Pumps & Biosand
Filters.
Basics of the
systems and the
mechanisms behind
each component
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Solar Pump &
Water Filtration
Demonstration
and Maintenance.
How to build and
maintain the
system.
Introduction to
Sustainable
Technology.
Demonstrating
cost-effective and
efficient
technological
applications
PumpSystem Schematic Biosand Filter
Photography: Site images courtesy of SAIWI from the University of Nevada, Pump diagram courtesy of Global TIES, and additional photos courtesy of Farmer Tantoh.
FOUNDERS SYMPOSIUM 2015
ESW: CAMEROON EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM
Emily Phan, Kimberly Nguyen, Sam Bunarjo, David Deng, Noe Tsuji, Daniel Ortiz