PVC Pipeline for Life Brings Clean Water to Rural Areas

PVC Pipe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thanks to partnerships between Save the Children, Water Engineers for the Americas, the Vinyl Institute, and the American Chemistry Council’s Chlorine Chemistry Division, more than 6,000 people across 3 remote villages in Honduras now have access to clean running water for the first time in their lives. Called “PVC Pipeline for Life,” this project has spanned a decade and involved the installation of 3,200 linear meters of PVC pipe (via a donation from the Vinyl Institute), bringing a lifesaving water purification and distribution system to a community in need.

None of this would be possible, however, without PVC pipe. “This is a great example of what PVC pipe can do,” said Susan Wade of the Vinyl Institute. “It is a major material used in clean water delivery, and the fact that it’s durable but also easy to install…this was the perfect material for this situation.”

(Photo: Wikipedia)

Wade continues, “I remember asking the water engineers, of all the available piping materials, why do you choose PVC? And they said, in Honduras, the soil is so acidic that you need something that can withstand that once it’s buried into the ground. This is a perfect application for PVC.”

Because PVC pipe is durable enough to withstand the Honduran soil, it is also relatively resistant to leaks and pipe corrosion. Corrosion can decrease flow in a pipe’s system imposing extra demands to pump water. Plus, plastic pipe manufacturing is resource efficient, typically consuming less energy than alternative materials. So the choice of PVC for this special pipeline project is expected to allow thousands of people gain access to clean water… in an energy-efficient way! Kudos to all those involved for bringing a lifesaving necessity to those in need through the PVC Pipeline for Life!

Source: GreenBuildingsolutions.org


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