Engineering for Community Development

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Methodology
Bio-energy
Analysis
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

In order for development to be realised within rural communities, one of the most important resources is water. Every village has its own water needs and water supply institutions need to be dynamic for them to cater for the diverse needs and preferences. Most NGO’s just install boreholes with a hand pump in a village but this has since proved not a sustainable supply of water within the respective regions (ARD, Inc., 2004). This has especially been done in Mali by the West Africa Water Initiative. On the other hand it is approximated that one third of the world’s population have got little or no access to modern energy services part of it generated from water sources. These are some of the indications of poverty which is to an extent linked to means and ways of energy production and usage adopted within respective regions.

Purpose

There is considerable evidence produced by research institutions showing that current existing energy systems are not sustainable. Mostly relied upon conventional energy strategies from fossil fuels and those which are supply-focused have not adequately addressed the current needs of poor families. Bio-energy, which is energy derived from wood and other plant matter provides potential contribution to sustainable energy strategies.

This could be realised when it is converted to serve the purposes of modern energy carriers such as electricity and gaseous fuels. Bio-energy is one of the important sources which could be used in rural villages to cater for current imperfect energy system. When modernised through engineering knowledge and appropriately implemented strategies, tremendous positive results on sustainable energy systems could be realised (Larson and Kartha, 2000, pp 7-20).

Methodology

Qualitative research methods were used in obtaining the required data for this report. Some data were obtained from secondary sources based on resources, energy and environmental sustainability. The data was compared from various sources around the word with focus in African nations. Information was collected from professional journal articles, books and websites.

Background

Mali is a land locked country and depends mainly on the rivers for their water supply majority of which are seasonal. In Nigeria the government is first developing the water and sanitation infrastructure in rural sector before embarking on housing developments to make sure the areas are not health hazards to the residents (Adesina, 2007). Various forms of development could be invented to supply the villages with sustainable energy sources.

Problems

The major problems involved in providing quality water and sanitation are rapid increase in population, rapid urbanization which leads to the development of slums and spontaneous settlements, poverty, environmental degradation and open space loss. This has particularly been the case in Democratic Republic of Congo specifically Kinshasa. People have moved from the east to escape the war at an alarming rate and settled in Kinshasa which has led to the above mentioned problems (Amis, 1995, pp145-158).

However, the use of biomass energy also presents some negative consequences in environmental and socioeconomic sectors. These may involve depletion of soil nutrients from agricultural lands because of the removal of all agricultural residues, leaching of chemicals, and loss of food supply due to less land used for food crops. Due to the fact that the rural regions are densely populated, lots of residues are obtained which could be used as potential biomass energy source. Project management is currently considered as undermining the processes of sustainability since it advocates obsession with material wealth, competition amongst cultures and individuals and exercising authority and power to control nature (Larson and Kartha, 2000, pp 7-20).

Bio-energy

There are wide ranges of benefits which could be obtained from Biomass energy which are of prime benefits to the rural poor in Mali. The feed stocks used for bio energy can be used to fulfil other local needs like provision of food, fuel wood, construction materials as well as agricultural crops. These could be utilized to change and restore various environments where the poor dwell. The environments range from watersheds, harvesting of rainwater, stabilization of river banks and irrigation of barren lands. Statistics shows that biomass accounts for almost one third of primary energy use within the developing countries (Larson and Kartha, 2000, pp 7-20).

However, the traditional ways of biomass use has proved to be typically inefficient since it leads to damage to ecosystem. Like in the industrialised countries, biomass within these remote communities could be converted into electricity and used to process heat in cogeneration systems. This could contribute to greater energy services and at the same time result into much cleaner and appropriate use of available biomass resources from irrigated lands. The table below provides the various technologies which could be applied by engineers for the purposes of converting solid biomass from irrigated crops to provide clean and convenient energy carriers for the benefit of rural community (Larson and Kartha, 2000, pp 7-20).

Table 1: Technologies for Modernized biomass energy conversion.

Technology	Scale	Energy services provided
Biogas	Small	Electricity, cooking, heating
Producer gas	Small to medium	Electricity, cooking and heating
Ethanol	Medium to large	Vehicle transportation, cooking
Steam turbine	Medium to large	Electricity(industrial processing), heating process
Gas turbine	Medium to large	Electricity (Industrial processing), heating process heat

Sugar cane could be used as an example with the potential of producing biomass energy in large scale. Availability of water in these remote sites makes it easer for sugar cane or other crop to be grown under irrigation. It is predicted that two thirds of the global biomass in the coming years will be obtained from plantations basically used for energy provision. The water management system applying the use of irrigation could be considered for this project.

The engineering process involving irrigation cycle which induces high level biodiesel source plants to be reverted back to water cycle forming one of the formidable sources of energy is explicitly analyzed. This energy is used as means of pumping water to high lands. The diagram below shows how an engineer could utilize funds in various ways for the purposes of improving water sources and irrigation network. The diagram could act as potential source of help concerning allocation of investable savings for a period of time (Larson and Kartha, 2000, pp 7-20).

*Diagram 1: Irrigation – Cultivation- Bio energy cycle.*

Analyzing Economic Benefits of the Project

In economic terms sustainability through energy provision can be defined as the adjustments done within the processes of satisfying community needs based on efficient use of resources which are of benefit to current and future generations. Changes experienced within the management of financial resources have the capability of changing lives either positively or negatively. Engineering project management focuses on the potential of the resources rather than actual improvements and equitable distribution. It is more focused on how economic capital can be used efficiently for the purposes of improving the lives of rural communities especially in utilizing available energy resources (Lovins, Lovins & Hawaken, 1999).

Implementing formal economics framework enables efficient use of sustainable energy resources. Project management should focus on ways of discounting systems for the benefit of all including the under-privileged within the society. Biomass energy provision processes should be maintained with minimal waste emission. This ensures increase in revenue which ultimately becomes profitable for maintenance of future generations.

All the sources involved in production should ensure constant flow of efficient energy with a lot of attention on sustenance of natural capital (Lovins, Lovins & Hawaken, 1999). According to engineers, issues of trade and technology are sometimes used as substitutes for increasing resource productivity if there are any shortages in natural resources. These substitutes help in relieving the load of overdependence on nature due to increase in population and economic growth (Rees, 1996).

Environmental resource management leads to efficient utilization of natural resources for the purposes of satisfying human need. It ensures that biomass energy sources are utilized to the maximum with minimum waste; the current ones should provide continuous flow of new products which are sustained for longer periods of time. This capital provides continuous services through recycling and treatment of resources (Fien, 1993c, p 39).

Balancing of nature assures human ability to meet its needs and this call for changes in various sectors such as education and culture. For sustenance of project management in this area, there are certain action skills that are mandatory, which includes; analytical skills for prediction of anticipated interactions outcome results, skills in language used to describe systems, interaction skills that ensures sharing of important information with the community, ability to think and implement appropriate decisions, efficiency in the use of modern technology and disaster management skills (Byrne, 2000, p. 49).

Analysis

The governments should incorporate urban planning and urban renewal to avoid uncontrollable settlements in cities and that might increase the ability for better development. The value attached to the environment makes engineering project management to be one of the most valued disciplines within the society (Kim, 2010). This is because the ecosystem should be managed well for sustainability to be realised. Making good use of the energy sector ensures that there is enough accumulation of environmental capital through learned individuals and sufficient natural resources. This ensures that majority of the population understands the nature of interdependence which exists between human and natural ecosystem.

Conclusion

There is need for change in lifestyles amongst the rural communities in developing and third world countries. This can only be achieved through rapid sustainable development which presents opportunities for rapid changes through appropriate engineering projects. Over dependency on non-renewable energy sources by developed and developing countries provides minimal chances for development in remote areas. According to recent reports by the United Nations Environment Program, the rate of resource consumption and pollution rate should be reduced by developed countries for the benefit of the posterity.

Improvement is needed in every sector which indulges in provision of energy and consumption of resources. There is need for better education on environmental matters for those involved in construction sector so as to encourage sound decisions supporting sustainability issues. Also required is the development of generally acceptable sustainability assessment method, which can be used and respected globally. However, sustainable development definition should not be limited only to environmental issues (UNEP, 1999).

Reference List

Amis, P., 1995. Making Sense of Urban Poverty. Environment and urbanization, 7 (1), 145-158.

Adesina, A., 2007. Socio-economic transformation and the urban fringe landscape in Developing Countries. Paper presented at the UN institute for environment and human security summer academy. Switzerland: Geneva.

ARD, Inc., 2004. Drilling costs survey. Report prepared for the West Africa Water Initiative (WAWI) project. VA: Arlington.

Byrne, J., 2000. From Policy to Practice: Creating Education for a Sustainable.

Future. In K. A. B. Wheeler, A. P. (Ed.), Education for a Sustainable Future: A Paradigm of Hope for the 21^stCentury (pp. 35 – 72). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Eric, M.M.N., Shouyu, C. & Qin, Z.L., 2010. Sustainable Urbanization’s Challenge in Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of Sustainable Development, 3 (2), 242.

Fien, J., & Trainer, T., 1993c. A vision of sustainability. In J. Fien (Ed.), Environmental Education: A Pathway to Sustainability (pp. 24 – 42). Geelong: Deakin University Press.

Kim, D., 2010. Michigan Engineering for Community Development. Web.

Larson, E., & Kartha, S., 2000. Bio-energy Primer; Modernised Biomass Energy for Sustainable Development. NY: United Nations Plaza. pp 7-20.

Lovins, A., Lovins, H., & Hawken, P., 1999. A Roadmap for Natural Capitalism. Harvard Business Review, 77(3), pp. 145-158.

Rees, W. E. 1996. Revisiting carrying capacity: Area-based indicators of Sustainability. Population and Environment (17), pp. 195-215.

Scott, G., 2010. Crisis and Contradictions: Understanding the Origins of a Community Development Project in Indonesia. The World Bank Report, pp.1-8.

UNEP, 1999. Global environmental outlook 2000 (GEO-2000). United Nations Environmental Program; Nairobi.

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