A Research Project in Roatan, Honduras

Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands, located 35 miles north of mainland Honduras. The island is approximately 3 miles wide and 30 miles long with a resident population of 65,000. The local economy is dominated by tourism- the tropical setting with resorts, beaches, and reef diving are the primary attractions. Visitation has increased substantially- from 15,000 in 1990, to 700,000 in 2010, and 1 million plus expected in 2011. Visitors arrive by airline, ferries from the mainland, or cruise ships that make frequent stops at the two docks recently constructed for them.

Colonia Policarpo is the largest of four colonias clustered in a relatively new settlement that lies on a steep hillside on the northwest side of the island near Sandy Bay. Most of the colonia residents have migrated from mainland Honduras seeking service and construction jobs in the tourism industry. Policarpo has approximately 520 households and 3,000 residents, half under age 16. Prior to 2006, most colonia residents obtained their drinking water from rainwater catchment or shallow hand dugs well subject to pollution. Since that time Living Water 4 Roatan (LW4R), a non-governmental organization, has worked with Policarpo residents to develop a self-sustaining water system that provides treated drinking water to households on a limited basis.

The Global Partnership Project student organization at Northern Arizona University (GPP-NAU) is collaborating with this community, LW4R, and a local health clinic in an effort to improve the quality of life in the colonia. This partnership is considered to be a multi-year endeavor between NAU and Colonia Policarpo. The long term goals for this and future trips include:

- Build relationships in Roatan and within the colonia community.
- Provide for adequate sanitation systems to all residences to reduce the chances of disease outbreaks such as cholera, malaria, and dengue fever.
- Expand and improve the water system, reduce the energy costs for operating it.
- Provide for adequate solid waste collection and erosion control.
- Perform social network mapping and interviewing to gain a better understanding of the community and their needs, particularly for public works improvements.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Day 12 - Mon 6.13.2011

This morning, Dale, Sam, and the GPP team met at Dan Taylor’s development at Keyhole Bay, where we got a tour of the properties, then were able to sit down for a more formal discussion with Dan and Mitch regarding our involvement in the island. Dan and Mitch reiterated that the island needs a master plan for growth and suggested that GPP-NAU might be able to contribute to its creation. We also discussed that starting a project in an islander community such as Flowers Bay would be beneficial and  a way to gain local support and cooperation from the local government. This could possibly be a future project, we plan to focus most of our efforts on the community of Policarpo Galindo on this trip. 

            In the afternoon, we Introduced Dale and Sam to Henry Zittrower and Enrique Valdez of LW4R and Marvin Membreno of the colonia water system to hear about their organizations and upcoming plans that we could assist with. Went over some water distribution system questions with Marvin to get a better idea on ways to control the individual distribution zones to prevent water theft. Some residents have figured out way to obtain water on days they are not scheduled to get their water barrel filled. We also visited a proposed water well site in the nearby Monte Fresco colonia. The location looks promising for getting water, but the well drilling truck available here on the island can only drill to 220’, which may not be deep enough.

There is an existing well located about ¼ mile down the canyon, Marvin will find out how deep it is. LW4R is also considering purchase of a nearby terraced lot to build a multi-use field and education center and has asked us to do some site mapping and advise if it is suitable for what they have planned.
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