1 Million Liters of Safe Drinking Water in Mexico

Our rainwater harvesting work continues to take on new partners and venture into new realms, and we are excited to leverage these relationships to multiply our impact. 

Back in March, Caminos de Agua and 13 other organizations – collectively known as the Agua Vida Coalition – signed a declaration with the municipal government in San Miguel de Allende to create a plan for the future of water in the municipality. Since then, we have worked closely with the municipality and coalition partners to bring rainwater harvesting solutions to more and more people in the region as a way to address both water contamination and growing water scarcity. 

We have been working closely with our coalition partner organization, Casita Linda, to bring rainwater harvesting systems to homes in the community of Palo Colorado – a large community only 15 minutes from the urban center. The community’s well dried up -- and literally collapsed in on itself -- this past year, leaving hundreds without water access.

With the municipal government, we have been working closely with the Department of Environment and Sustainability to change the municipal construction code to require all new develops to capture rainwater. This would make San Miguel the first municipality in the entire country to require rainwater harvesting! 

Additionally, we have been working with the government to implement rainwater harvesting solutions in communities most at risk. 

Last time, we updated you on the community of Agustín González. This community has some of the highest levels of fluoride we have registered in the municipality – more than 4 times above the World Health Organization recommended limit. We, along with our partners in El Maíz Más Pequeño, have been working with the students at the local high school for more than a year. Many of these students have been living with the health impacts of excessive fluoride including cognitive development issues and severe dental fluorosis – an irreversible condition that stains teeth brown and black. 

The students organized and, amongst other projects, built a rainwater harvesting system for drinking water at their school to help stave off the health impacts for future generations. But that’s only where this story begins…

Since that last report, the students have worked with us in Caminos de Agua to solicit the municipal government to do more. Thanks to their efforts, the Department of Environment and Sustainability has agreed to deliver the materials for 11 new, large-scale, rainwater harvesting systems, which will be installed by the students themselves in family homes over the next month. The students have continued to work in other communities and have also identified future needs for rainwater systems at other community schools. 

This initiative is the first of many between the municipal government, Caminos de Agua, and local communities. Together with the Agua Vida Coalition, we are working to develop projects through a municipal “Water Fund” that will help support rainwater harvesting, watershed restoration, and similar projects will into the future. 

Thanks to everyone who supports our work. We hope you will consider a donation today to help us do more. 

Saludos,

Dyan and the Caminos de Agua Team