Applying the Process in I-section

After developing the Process, the greywater team applied it to a greywater channel upgrade in Langrug’s I-section. This channel was chosen because of the severity of issues described by community members living nearby, and because of community willingness to work on interventions, as evidenced by some community members’ self-organized cleaning efforts. Work on the I-section channel served as the first test of the new process, and provided vital lessons regarding various social dynamics involved in greywater interventions. Unlike the J-section channel, most of the work on the I-section channel was organized by the community co-researchers, and the WPI students served as consultants rather than active workers. Keeping with the new Process, work on the I-section began with meetings with the community members living near the channel. The community members provided further insight regarding greywater issues experienced, past attempts to deal with those issues, and ideas for upgrading the channel. Together with the community members, the co-researchers developed a plan for obtaining materials and constructing the channel and began construction work. Initially, the greywater team had hoped to obtain materials using monetary contributions from the community. However, the community members were more willing to offer manual labour, so materials were gathered from around Langrug or bought with funding from CORC. Over the course of about three weeks, the community built about 90 metres of upgraded greywater channel, and cemented about 40 metres before cement ran out. Construction will continue once more cement can be obtained. The co-researchers have already begun discussing maintenance with the community; community members seem willing to work to keep the channel clean, and a strong sense of community ownership is evident.