Editor’s Note: This is the seventh in a series of articles highlighting Cummins’ 2014 Environmental Challenge winners. Follow us on Twitter @Cummins or sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter to be notified of new articles. For more information on the Environmental Challenge, see the bottom of this article.
Drinking water is of primary concern for parts of the world that are prone to drought. City officials in Xiangyang, China, which recently suffered a severe drought, have been concerned with the scarcity of water. Cummins China, CXCMC, chose to focus on the region for a 2014 Environmental Challenge Project.
With drought there comes a variety of water problems. Students at MaGang School watched an old well dry-up as nearby farms drained the remaining supply of water. Much of the water that was left was contaminated by a nearby sewer making it undrinkable. Many of the students had limited water intake of 0.4 liters, or 20 ounces per day.
The Cummins team sought to implement systems that would address the water shortage and also educate the students about water conservation. They partnered with local government authorities and an environmental NGO called Green Han River. Engineers used their expertise to help rectify the problem in the area.
As part of the Environment Challenge Project, the team from Cummins China drilled a new well and constructed a new irrigation system. The team also designed a raindrop reservoir with a natural pond that will sustain the school’s water usage. This will save the school more than $3,000.
Another project that was implemented was a system that will recycle waste water from flushing toilets. This system can save the school 110,000 liters of water per year. Flow-control faucets were installed and will save another 137,000 liters. Cummins employees are constantly looking for ways to give back and help with a cleaner, healthier, safer environment.
Students from MaGang School were taught water saving and protection courses. Sharing knowledge about water conservation will lead to better behaviors and limit the loss of water long after the volunteers leave the school.
This environmental project supplied 20,000 liters of water per day and saved 1,111,500 liters per year. Moving forward, Cummins China plans on replicating this project in two more schools around MaGang.
For more information on sustainability efforts at Cummins, visit the Sustainability section of our corporate website and download the 2015 Sustainability Report.