The village of Felemea, Ha’apai needs clean drinking water, and the challenge to find a solution has been taken up by a group of four student engineers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, as their team design project.

The students are looking to create an economically viable plan for a small-scale plant to desalinate and sterilise drinking water, powered by renewable resources.

Felemea has electricity for only two hours each day and diesel is expensive so a renewable energy solution is essential.

The University's Chemical and Process Engineering Associate Professor Matt Watson says the design scenario is a great opportunity for the students to apply their knowledge on a global scale and generate connection with a Pacific Island community.

“There have been issues with the ground water supply in the village and some outbreaks of gastrointestinal-type diseases, so there is a need for a better system to serve the 200 people who live there.”

“While this is a paper exercise for the students, it will be useful for the village and the government of Tonga because the team will do an economic analysis for their design," he said.

So far, the team plans to use solar energy to power the plant. They are currently researching the pattern of water usage in the village.

The idea for the project came from Siale Faitotonu [2], a former high school teacher in Tonga, and now a geomechanics laboratory technician in the UC College of Engineering.

Siale had visited Felemea on a research trip at the start of this year and has been providing first-hand knowledge of the village to the students and giving them advice on local contacts and tradition.

“This project is good for the students and for the community. Hopefully it will become a reality because that would be a blessing for Felemea,” he said.

The students are also liaising with Tongan residents Sione Sunia (District Officer) and Latu Mo’ale Fusitu’a (Town Officer).

Pacific Academic Lead Ashalyna Noa, and the students BECA Consulting supervisor and Engineering graduate Lisa Mace have also had input.

Rewarding

The engineering students, who are in their final year of Chemical and Process Engineering studies include Olivia Duplan, Craig Stocker, Jack Deeley and Matt Rennie. 

Olivia, who is studying for a Diploma in Global Humanitarian Engineering finds the task rewarding because it has the potential to help people.

“This is a project that has a humanitarian aspect to it because everyone should have access to clean drinking water. I think the project is really important and it brings me joy to think that it could improve people’s lives.”

“If CoViD wasn’t happening, we would absolutely love to go over there to talk to the community about what they want and how they could be involved,” she said.

The project is due to be completed by late October.