Clean Water Systems
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Water is the medium of transport for many parasites that cause children to be become ill and malnourished. Almost all children in the villages along the Amazon and Napo Rivers consume water directly from rivers, streams and ponds. During low water season, the water supply in some villages becomes very limited because beaches form, separating them from the main flow of the rivers which makes available water even more contaminated. Mini water treatment plants
can produce potable water for small villages and significantly improve the quality of life for the people who live there. -
There are a variety of ways to create clean water systems. Large systems can be complicated to maintain and quite expensive to construct and operate. Since there are no roads to the rainforest villages,all materials must be transported by boat. The need for lightweight, easily transportable parts is an important consideration.
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CONAPAC’s simple system to create water plants starts with parts readily available in Iquitos. The four-stage filter system, assembled in the city, and the balance of the parts are transported by boat to the community for final construction. Community members, overseen by CONAPAC, and at times, in cooperation with volunteers who come to stay in the rainforest as Explorama guests and
choose to participate in a volunteer service project, build the water plant in the community. -
A 2-day workshop is organized in the village as soon as each mini water treatment plant is completed. Community members, from adults to children, are taught about the importance of clean water for good health and community prosperity and on the last day each family receives a large container with a spigot to receive and serve clean water in their homes.
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Donor interest in these mini water treatment plants has been very positive. Village leaders and other members of the communities we serve are beginning to see the value of clean water for their health and, more importantly, for their children's. The desire to have their own water plants has continued to grow and our donors are responding accordingly. We now have water plants in Timicuro Grande, Tamanco, Santa Teresa, Irlanda, Manco Capac, Palmeras II, and Llchapa.
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CONAPAC has determined that water plants cannot become fully
operational until a “water workshop” has been hosted. This added piece of education for everyone reinforces the merits and responsibilities of producing and consuming clean water by all members of the community, thereby leading to a more successful, sustainable, long-term project. At the end of the workshop, each family attending receives a 20-liter water bucket with spigot and each child receives his/her own plastic water cup with our message that clean water equals good health.
For more information about how the system works and how you can help, contact us.
