Clean Water, Beyond Our Region

Photo: a family in Chiapas with one of Caminos' ceramic water filters installed in a generic plastic bucket, a precursor to Aguadapt.

The first water technology we ever developed in Caminos de Agua, going back to 2013, was our ceramic water filter. This simple filter, which we produce here in San Miguel, removes virtually all  pathogens and bacteria. For years, we have been using it as an integral component of our rainwater harvesting systems – a crucial last step to assure that collected rainwater is free of pathogens and fit for drinking. Over time, we certified the filter with COFEPRIS (the Mexican version of the EPA), which piqued the interest of more NGO partners throughout Mexico who started using the filter to provide clean water in their own projects, before long reaching more than 5,000 families. As demand increased, and after a series of natural disasters in 2017-2018, we began a process of redesigning our ceramic filter to make it easier to deploy, adaptable to all common containers, and simple to attach to universal plumbing – resulting in it being ideal for providing safe drinking water to communities most at risk as well as to those displaced by natural disasters and other emergencies. Aguadapt was ultimately born and its design won the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Innovation Showcase Award in 2019 in Washington, D.C.

Photo: Dylan Terrell (left) and Aaron Krupp (right) of Caminos de Agua after winning the Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) award by ASME for the Aguadapt water filter.  

After some set-backs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been steadily working on Aguadapt,  while never taking the majority of our focus off our core mission. Today, we have massively revamped our production method, brought on new production partners, and have Aguadapt nearly ready for new and broader distribution. We are currently producing a pilot run of 1,000 units of this new generation of Aguadapt, which are already spoken for by partners in southern Mexico in the coming weeks and months.

Photo: The Caminos Tech Team working with new production partners to prepare Aguadapt for launch.

In Chiapas, one of the most marginalized regions in all of Mexico, water is a chronic issue, especially among indigenous communities where waterborne diseases – caused by pathogens in the water supply – are common. Worse yet, many of these communities are far from health centers or hospitals. Aguadapt, and previously our ceramic water filter, has been used for years by our partner, Concern America, in Chiapas, who purchases and then distributes these water filters in community homes – helping improve the drinking water supply for thousands of people throughout southern Mexico. Bruno Morales, Concern Americas' representative in Chiapas, explains:

“We [Concern America] focus our work on mainly ethnic Tzotzil, Tzeltal, and Tojolabales communities, historically marginalized, internally displaced by conflicts, and which have always been the main target of oppression and exploitation.”

While our primary focus continues to be on creating greater access to safe drinking water and prevent the horrible health consequences of ingesting contaminated water in our region, we are also very excited to see our technology make a real difference for families and communities elsewhere in Mexico and beyond. The pilot run of 1,000 new generation Aguadapt filters for Concern America is just the beginning. With an improved product, new manufacturing partners, and streamlined production coming on line, many other NGO partners who are in need of this life-saving technology, will receive more filters to improve the quality of life for the families they serve.

Aguadapt is a serious breakthrough in terms of water technology for the people in our watershed, but the need goes far beyond our region throughout Mexico and beyond. Water scarcity and water contamination are unfortunately becoming increasingly more serious issues, and, emergency relief, due to climate change and other disruptive events like the pandemic, make the availability and use of our Aguadapt all the more urgent.