Kanaan Report

By Dan Holmgren,

May 12, 2007

Meeting Notes Sunday, May 7, 2007

Lifewater team: Robin Rader and Dan Holmgren

In-Country team:

Epen Akay, Translator

Femy, In-Country project coordinator:

Singal, Project Engineer

Address: Manado, N. Sulawesi

Due to a cancelled flight from Kao, our site visit to the land (Kanaan) was cancelled. Instead, a meeting was arranged at Femy’s house in Manado to discuss solutions for the erosion problem and get the verbal update on the project from Singal

Summary of previous visit: In Febrary 2007, Jim Aldrich and Jerry Colp surveyed the Lata Lata property known as Kanaan and assessed the project giving a summary of the erosion issues and possible general solutions. It was suggested among other solutions that check dams should be built across the gullies and vegetation planted to inhibit surface erosion.

• The solutions provided by Jim and Jerry in their site visit report from Feb 2007 were reviewed and discussed. Some of the solutions had been implemented.

• Singal stated that he had started building houses in the eroded zone….possibly 13 brick houses were in place although no one had moved in yet.

• Check dams made of gabions were constructed in the eroded section of the property. Possibly 7 check dams had been constructed over a 300 meter length of the main gully. (Comment: We suggested this was not sufficient and more dams would be required.)

• Singal said he didn’t install any check dams below the excavated zone because it had not eroded there. (Comment: Because of increased runoff from the excavation this assumption is probably not well founded – check dams may be needed to control the increased volume even below the excavation.)

• Buildup of eroded material was a problem again this rainy season…. The beach road had again been inundated with eroded soil.

• 135 meters of concrete ditch had been constructed in the main gully near the wood shed.

• Jeff Hammond was looking into buying more land adjacent to the existing property. This is unconfirmed and the reason was not given. (He is expected to pay a visit to the area within a month.)

• Grass had been planted. Other vegetation was discussed. Fast growing ground vegetation is optimal… a certain type used to plant in palm groves to keep underbrush from taking over was suggested.

Conclusion: Construction on the excavated land is proceeding. Erosion remains a problem. It appears that the solutions suggested by Jim and Jerry are being attempted but additional professional designs of the construction of larger solutions on the property is recommended. Solutions are probably not well understood by the construction team and engineers but they are making some positive progress.