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Hot and cold water a first for a Nicaraguan village

To discover that a water source is contaminated with arsenic is bad enough, but when it is the main supply for 200 families the problem becomes very serious, as is the case for the communities of La Unión and Nuevo Amanecer.

After being displaced by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, these two communities were resettled in their current location and given a new start. There are not many rural communities in Nicaragua which can boast water piped to every house but for these families, this dream had become a reality. An extensive network of buried pipes delivered water from a borehole in La Unión to the two communities – dare we say it – by the bucket load!

However, by 2008 this system had fallen into disrepair. The pump broke, the shallow pipes began to poke up through the eroding soil and break, and the whole system was soon out of order.  To add insult to injury, it was discovered that the old water supply was contaminated with arsenic. With insufficient drinking water available from a spring in the neighbouring community, many families are collecting water from wherever they can find it, including from sources just as contaminated as their old supply.

Having seen hard work go to waste on the existing pipeline, a greater involvement is needed from the community in order to give them a sense of ownership and pride in any future water supply. Speaking about the old network, Justo Espinoza, one of Nuevas Esperanzas’ building supervisors, said "they weren’t paying for it, so they didn’t take care of it".  Indeed, it was neglect which led to irreparable damage of the old pipeline.  So with a dose of tough love from the local leaders, the people have set to work on a solution of which they themselves can be proud.

As Nuevas Esperanzas investigated the situation, it became apparent that the best solution was to construct two distribution systems from two distinct water sources.  This is because, of the two main options available, one source of water is plentiful but contains arsenic, while the other is free from arsenic but has a more limited yield.  Water which contains arsenic can still be used, just not for drinking or cooking.

This approach has been tried and tested in other arsenic-affected areas of the world but will be a first for Nicaragua. With funding from the Mayor of Telica and Friends of Students for 60,000, a US non-profit organization, Nuevas Esperanzas began work with the community early in the New Year.  Each family has begun digging their allotted 41 metres of trench. The 8,000 metre pipeline will be laid deeper underground ensuring that it cannot be broken by cars or animals as the road surface is eroded. The plentiful but arsenic-contaminated water will be pumped to every house in the community for washing and bathing, while a separate pipeline constructed from a spring in Agua Fría will eventually bring safe drinking water to standposts a stone’s throw away from every front door.

It just so happens that the arsenic-contaminated water is geothermally heated and comes out of the ground at 45 degrees centigrade, which is great for washing, while the drinking water will come from a cooler spring up in the hills.  With the prospect of both hot and cold water supplies, it may not be long before La Unión and Nuevo Amanecer are the envy of every household as far as the city of León!

25/01/11