July 16, 2018 Walter Filtration Project Mexico

Posted by Mac Whyte on Jul 16, 2018

Imagine living in a small village of 139 people located 1 km from the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico, the largest freshwater inland lake in Mexico and you have to buy bottled water.  Where a Mexican prison and a gated community within 3 km from the village, on the same road, have on-site water treatment facilities and your village doesn’t?  If you’re part of the  “lucky” half of the village to have access to water provided by the Chapala Municipality you may not have the money to pay for water connections to your house and within your house or the annual water bill those who do get water it is found to be of questionable taste and safety.

 

During September through December of 2016 Butterflies en Mexico conducted a community assessment through the use of surveys and formal interviews. Only one family was unable to be interviewed in the community. An area identified as having significant need was for clean, safe water.  The Hacienda da labor Community Council continues to affirm that water is a high need for the community.

There are two ways water comes to the village.  15 houses receive the contaminated municipality water and 15 houses utilize a water truck which comes one time a week to the village. 
 
Water for the 15 homes that have municipality water is not consumable. Women expressed that when they use the water from the faucets to wash their bodies and hair they received rashes and lost their hair. Most people utilize bottled water for bathing. 
The additional families who do not have access to municipality water use bottled water for daily care. 38% of the families stated they do not have sufficient water each day for drinking and bathing.
 
Providing clean water is one of Rotary’s Six areas of Focus:  “Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education are basic necessities for a healthy environment and a productive life.“
 
The Project-Water Filtration  
 
  • The providing of  30 grafons with filter system to families for safe drinking and bathing water.  A grafon holds 20 liters of water.
  • The filter system is made specifically to the toxins which need to be filtered out and displaces about 2 liters of water in the 20 liters of the grafon.  
  • Two labs tests will be supplied to evaluate they type of filter necessary for the grafons; municipality and truck water.
  • Thirty grafons with filters, which match the type of water they receive, will be supplied to each home.
  • Training of residents on how to use and care for the grafons and filters
  • Sustainability - The filters will last 5 years.
  • Total Cost of the Project-$689.0 USD
 
In the long term, we are developing strategies to contribute to a more lasting solution to the water issues that are faced by the village.  Mac is a member of the Rotary Water Community Corps here at lakeside.
 
What are Rotarians doing to address water needs in Mexico?  Click to find out.  Learn more about Butterflies en Mexico by clicking this link.