Skip to main content

In the community of San José Monteverde, in Oaxaca, Mexico, Healing Waters International implemented the first project of its kind – to pipe water from a river, over a mountain to reach the community on the other side. This project provides Healing Water’s largest water supply (over 27,000 gallons per day), climbing a distance of 1.2 kilometers, to serve 1,000 people directly via household taps. The remoteness of the region and the geological challenges made this no easy task, but Healing Waters International deployed its holistic system and a team of highly trained engineers to solve the problem, ensuring that everyone has access to safe water.

Not all water purification challenges are created equal.

Working in a low-resource, rural setting to implement a sustainable water solution is a challenging task. These areas often lack the infrastructure to provide consistent safe water, as they may not have reliable electricity, and the nearest water source could be located far away. Monteverde sits in a high valley, surrounded by mountains, where the nearest abundant water sources are on the other side of the mountains, leaving the community extremely water-constrained.

Additionally, weather conditions can make it difficult to build and maintain infrastructure. For example, while implementing the project in Monteverde, heavy rains caused a mudslide that destroyed much of the newly constructed solar panel structure.

The people in Monteverde, Mexico need clean water.

In Monteverde, Mexico, the residents lacked access to a reliable source of clean water. Although they received some water from a spring head in the high valley (supplied by the local government), this was inadequate and unsafe for consumption. As a result, people had to boil the water before consuming it – relying on ecologically fragile firewood collection. Due to the lack of consistent clean water, people in the region frequently suffered from waterborne illnesses and faced challenges in breaking free from poverty.

The local government had previously attempted to implement an infrastructure project to bring more abundant water from a river on the other side of the mountain, but this effort was abandoned prior to completion, due to the challenges with distance and solar power.

Together, We Can Change Lives

With your support, we can continue to expand our reach and provide safe water solutions to more communities around the world. 

Healing Waters’ Solution Create a Long-term, Sustainable Solution

Working within the context of Monteverde presented many challenges in creating a sustainable water purification solution. However, the Healing Waters team was more than capable of meeting the challenge. The engineers devised and implemented a two-tier water system to ensure an adequate volume of water:

  • Pipe water into homes for household use
  • Provide affordable drinking water in 5-gallon jugs

This system would supply the community with a consistent amount of purified water, meeting their daily needs.

The innovative design features a solar pumping system to transport water from the river, over the mountain ridge and then utilizes gravity to feed it into the piped system. Such a pumping system demands significant pressure to pipe water up and over the mountain. HWI’s Monteverde project represents a significant feat in overcoming pressure, potentially making it the region’s highest point for piping water. After the water is collected in a hilltop cistern, where it runs through a purification center, and then is distributed directly into household taps.

Healing Waters Remains Committed to Solving the Toughest Water Purification Problems

Healing Waters is dedicated to addressing the toughest water purification challenges in remote parts of the world. We are committed to providing sustainable solutions that are tailored to each specific region, even if it means longer implementation times and higher costs. We firmly believe that investing in long-term solutions, despite the challenges and expenses, will have a lasting and sustainable impact on regions where access to clean water is most critical. Recently, the people of Monteverde celebrated the inauguration of their new water project, bringing access to clean water that will forever change the region and create new opportunities and possibilities.

We’re on a mission to end the global water crisis. We build holistic clean water solutions and spread God’s love in at-risk communities around the world, empowering people not just to survive, but to thrive – physically, socially and spiritually.

Share this

Leave a Reply