It is hard to care much, let alone protect, something you don’t have. And in Guatemala, only 38 percent of extremely poor rural households have tap water, according to a recent study entitled “The Economic Lives of the Poor” by economists Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
When The World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Tacaná Project began to extend its work to the midlands that slope eventually to the Pacific Coast in the watershed of the Suchiate River, organizers met with municipal officials and community leaders to identify their needs and analyze potential responses. The problems were sundry: erosion, pollution, litter, deforestation, bad roads, etc. But in the Tojoj village in the town of San Pablo, the most glaring concern was the lack of a tap water. “We don’t have running water, so every household has to buy hoses [and run them to the nearest source of water],” said Fausto Romero, president of the October 21 Cooperative and vice-president of the San Pablo-Suchiate River Midlands Micro-Watershed Committee.
The IUCN doesn’t directly fund projects to supply potable water. “Our focus is on water, on forest and soil conservation,” noted Francisco Visoni, agroforestry systems technician with the Tacaná Project. “We are also interested in social development, but it is not our priority.”
But the IUCN does work closely with agencies that want to fund such initiatives. And in Tojoj, that made all the difference.
In October 2005 Tropical Storm Stan swept away 3,800 meters of individual hoses in Tojoj. The Dutch Embassy opened a line of grants for reconstruction. The Tacaná Project helped facilitate a donation and manage the project’s implementation. Instead of replicating the old jerrybuilt system, project advisers suggested building a proper system. Now they receive a hero’s welcome when they visit. Residents recently crammed the headquarters of the local coffee cooperative to listen an hour of discussions about water conversation and reforestation. “Thank God for this project,” said Romero.
The day of the visit, the coffee cooperative was abuzz with activity. Construction workers were putting on an addition to the building. Out back a half-dozen volunteers were busy preparing sacks of soil for saplings for the IUCN-supported nursery located on the cooperative’s grounds. Across the dirt road, workers offloaded materials for the construction of the water supply system. Romero showed off tanks that are being built to filter contaminated effluent from the washing of coffee beans.
The nursery is expected to supply more than 30,000 saplings for reforestation. The trees will supply firewood and wood for construction, protect water sources, ensure soil conservation and provide shade for coffee trees, the main local crop. With the shade trees in place, the cooperative can apply for certification of its output as “bird-friendly coffee,” thus boosting the price, said Fidelino Mojeto, executive director of COPADES, a consultancy that is working with the Tacaná Project. Added Romero, “We want to take care of the environment and improve the health of our children.”
The filtering tanks, also supported directly by the Tacaná Project, will reduce groundwater contamination, which hurts downhill communities, and improve sanitation standards by eliminating the flies attracted by the pungent run-off when it is dispatched into the street. As an added bonus, the leftover muck from the filters can be easily turned into organic fertilizer.
For both the filters and the reforestation project, instead of simply handing over money to the mayor or community, the Tacaná Project helps negotiate with suppliers and provides materials in-kind. Community members chip in with volunteer labor.
“These pilot projects are a way to earn credibility in the communities,” said Visoni. “They aren’t very big, but they are adapted to the needs of the people. They are for other If all goes well, the greenhouses will represent an important new option. According to Ever Velásquez, “In August we’ll have our first harvest ready for delivery. We’ll have more income while at the same time preserving the forest and saving water.”
Written by Bill Hinchberger