From Clean Water to MORE Water, the Women of Los Ricos Organize to Expand Water Access to their Neighbors
Photo: children from the community of Los Ricos inside a mock-up Rainwater Harvesting System.
The community of Los Ricos de Arriba (Los Ricos) is located on the banks of the Laja River – a water source that once flowed year-round but is now seasonal and all but empty for most of the year. More than 40 families located on the upper part of the community lack consistent access to clean water as the community well, located in the lower part of the community, doesn't reach all the residents higher up. This water also happens to be heavily contaminated with arsenic and fluoride, chemicals that are extremely detrimental to human health when consumed regularly. As one mother from Los Ricos stated:
"The water is sick because it comes from very deep. It is causing illnesses in us, slowly, over time."
Unfortunately, chronic exposure to arsenic and fluoride in drinking water can cause kidney disease, bone deformation, skin lesions, cognitive development and learning disabilities in children, several types of cancer, and dental fluorosis – the permanent, irreversible brown staining of the teeth all too common in Los Ricos and throughout the region.
To mitigate these issues, last year, our first Groundwater Treatment System (GTS), a technological innovation developed in-house by the Caminos de Agua Tech Team, was installed in the community of Los Ricos to conduct a “live test” of this unique system that removes arsenic and fluoride from the community well. Today, that system is almost completely operated by a group of women from Los Ricos, providing safe, clean drinking water to many families in the community.
“We had many years without safe drinking water, while taking care of the GTS is hard work, it’s changed the reality of my family and community.”
María del Rosario, from the community of Los Ricos
Now with a safe drinking water source available, María del Rosario and the other women in Los Ricos continued working with Caminos de Agua to figure out how they could add even more water access for all uses. Together, we designed a rainwater harvesting project and, with the help of the Alstom Foundation and supporters like you, this new initiative got off the ground at the beginning of this year. Today, families are working closely with Caminos de Agua to build the first 15 large-scale rainwater harvesting systems in Los Ricos. Combined with GTS for drinking water, the rainwater systems will help the families have much more consistent access to water for all their needs, year-round, becoming less dependent on a diminishing and contaminated well and a seasonal river.
Now with a safe drinking water source available, María del Rosario and the other women in Los Ricos continued working with Caminos de Agua to figure out how they could add even more water access for all uses. Together, we designed a rainwater harvesting project and, with the help of the Alstom Foundation and supporters like you, this new initiative got off the ground at the beginning of this year. Today, families are working closely with Caminos de Agua to build the first 15 large-scale rainwater harvesting systems in Los Ricos. Combined with GTS for drinking water, the rainwater systems will help the families have much more consistent access to water for all their needs, year-round, becoming less dependent on a diminishing and contaminated well and a seasonal river.