In the small neighboring communities of Rosarito, Albores, and Alianza in Chiapas, Mexico, Healing Waters is implementing cutting-edge technologies and collaborating with the local government to create an advanced water system that will significantly impact the communities by bringing water directly to household taps. Healing Waters calls this collection of communities involved in the project, “Rosalbali”.
Trapped in Poverty
In Rosalbali, people were losing hope that they would ever have consistent access to clean water. Governments came in and promised change, but they ultimately failed.
Families in Chiapas, Mexico’s poorest state live in extreme poverty, with day laborers earning only about $12 per day. The lack of access to consistent, clean water means that they remain in this state of abject poverty and regularly experience suffering brought on by drinking contaminated water. Direct access to clean water in homes will alleviate the suffering caused by poverty, as residents will no longer need to haul water from the river and spend time boiling water. Household access to purified water will also reduce chronic illnesses, which lead to missed work and school.
Environmental and Health Impacts
The area of Rosalbali used to have a mining industry that dumped a lot of minerals and metals into the river. This made the water even more contaminated and unsafe to drink.
These days, the people in the area are divided between households that choose to spend a significant portion of their limited income on treated water in jugs, and those households that drink water directly from their tap, which comes from a contaminated stream (and which they have to supplement with water from the river in the dry season). The majority of those who drink from the tap spend time gathering firewood and then treating the water by boiling it. This process is harmful to the environment and requires a lot of labor. It also causes deforestation and air pollution because of the need for firewood. The rest of the community (about 16%) drinks untreated water, leading to health problems. This is especially bad for children, who get sick from drinking contaminated water, and repeated bouts of illness in young children can have lasting impacts on physical and cognitive development. Even though people know the water is unsafe, they still use it because they have no other choice. Additionally, apart from drinking water, families don’t have enough water to do household chores like washing clothes and cleaning their homes, and often have to do their washing in the river or haul river water home.
Unprecedented Local Support
Healing Waters International has operated in some capacity in this region since 2004 and built trust with the municipal government of Escuintla. This has led the council to become an investment partner, providing approximately 60% of the funding needed for the project. As local elections are approaching and government funding depends on the project’s completion, Healing Waters must close the narrow funding gap to ensure the project can be fully implemented without disruptions. Previous government officials have refused to help the local community establish clean water solutions, so Healing Waters will take advantage of the positive government relationships with the current officials.
For years I requested help from the local government to implement a water project. Our previous mayor promised to help us but unfortunately, he passed away before he could make it a reality. After that, I thought we would never have clean water. With Healing Waters here, I now have hope.
Alfonzo, Alianza
The Project
After conducting a comprehensive on-the-ground assessment of the local geography, water sources, infrastructure, and social context, the Healing Waters team in Chiapas has developed a customized and sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) solution for Rosalbali. Working closely with local leaders, the Healing Waters team has designed a model to purify the community’s water.
To demonstrate their commitment to the project, many townspeople have volunteered their time to reduce costs and ensure the success of the project.
The model will deliver purified water directly to household taps in each home through a gravity conduction line. The water will be sourced from the main river that passes through all three communities and will be purified using nanofiltration run on solar power.
This means that people will have enough water all year long in their homes and no longer need to travel to the river to get water for drinking or washing and won’t have to buy expensive water in jugs. The treated water will be stored in a cistern and flow by gravity to distribution lines to the homes in each of the three communities.
This project will significantly improve the water delivery system of these communities by providing consistent access to clean water piped directly to 277 households, serving 1,700 people through household taps. It will eliminate the need for each household to collect and purify water, thereby transforming the region’s health, well-being, and economic capacity.
I had to carry water from the river for bathing, washing clothes, and everything else my family needed. I never imagined that a project like this would come and solve the water problem in my community. This is a great gift at my age to see this come true.
Eldermira, Rosarito