Introduction

The engineering without borders is an organisation which uses engineering projects to help
improve the lives of people in developing countries. The task given was to create a water
purification process for the people of Lobitos. The aim of this report is to be able to
understand the interrelationship of project management to design, environmental, external
factors and stakeholders’ expectations.

Scope Management
The people of Lobitos require a clean source of water. The current situation the villagers are
living in, requires them to depend on a town 17km away. The project was to create a water
purification process (slingshot) which increased the supply of water as well as it being cost
effective and easily accessible. At times, the people of Lobitos can go through a water
drought where they will receive no water up to 4 months, because of this a storage space
for water is needed with the design.

Project Objectives

 Install a slingshot which successfully removes dirt and purifies water.

The slingshot is a water vapour distillation system; this creates purified drinking
water. The slingshot allows water to be collected from places such as the sea, river
water, sludge etc. solar energy can be used to boil and distil any contaminated water
in to drinkable water.

 Install a slingshot which has a constant power supply

Homes in Lobitos generally have electricity which are connected to the national grid.
The slingshot only requires 1kilowatt, which could come from the national grid, the
slingshot would be installed with a battery pack as an emergency and to also keep
the slingshot portable.

 Install a slingshot with storage space and easily accessible

The slingshot is a portable device which allows it to be easily accessible to the
villagers. This device can produce 250 gallons of water each day, this is enough for
100 people. The constant flow of water from the sea will allow the slingshot to store
extra water.

Project Approach
To begin with the team will create the design, research on what equipment and resources
are needed to build the design. Any manuals for installation and maintenance will be
gathered. Followed by working with the engineering without borders (EWB) to manufacture
a model to be tested, to ensure all features and the whole system works correctly.
Engineering without borders will be the financial support, they will gather all equipment, as
well as receiving permission for the task to go ahead. The organisation will also hire trained
individuals to install the slingshot, and a small amount of villagers to help put the slingshots
in place and train them on maintenance.

Environmental, Social and Economical Context

As Lobitos is near the coast, when construction takes place each slingshot must be placed
correctly, as the tide could cause damage to the slingshot if installed too close to the coast.
This has to be done accurately so that animals living in the sea or around the coast are not
harmed. The slingshot can be powered in many ways for example the use of cow dung, any
dirt or excess of cow dung must be disposed correctly. When installing the slingshots the
villagers day to day lives need to be put into consideration, as some locations for certain
slingshots will be in the city. This is so that we are not interfering with their work and
personal life. Being a small village, any inconvenience to the villagers may prove to be vital.