Suleyman Akalin

Location: La Criba, El Salvador

I am a senior engineer and hydrologist in Tetra Tech’s Fort Collins, Colorado, office. I mainly work on water resources and mining projects all over the world. I experienced water shortages growing up in my home country of Turkey, and I understand the impact of lack of water in human life very well. 

Because of my experiences, I am actively involved in a water supply project through Engineers Without Borders USA to help bring clean water to a small community in La Criba, El Salvador. I act as a professional mentor to a group of students at Colorado State University for the La Criba Water Supply project. We’ve already constructed a water well, installed a submersible pump, and laid down the transmission line from the well to a new storage tank location. In January 2015 a small group of volunteers traveled to the project site to install some required valves and keep the community relationship close.

The ultimate goal of this project is to provide the La Criba community with a reliable, long-lasting, and sustainable water supply. It is an honor to help people around the world who are in need of essential resources such as water for their survival.