Bolivia: Drinking water for Achocalla
Together with local partners, the Siemens Stiftung is developing a project to improve the drinking water situation in Achocalla in Bolivia.
Achocalla is located in the catchment areas of the cities of La Paz and El Alto. Due to its small lake, it also serves as a popular recreational area for these cities. On fine weekends, thousands of visitors stream to the area. At the same time, the municipality of Achocalla is seeing a rapid increase in population. Water, however, remains a scarce resource. There are only a few sources of fresh water to meet the demands of the local population, the livestock, and for irrigating crops. Due to intensive agriculture and livestock farming, as well as the lack of a sewage system, the existing water supply in Achocalla is organically polluted. The drinking water is not of adequate quality, and this gives rise to a high rate of gastrointestinal disorders in the local population and in visitors to Achocalla.
The "Drinking water for Achocalla" project aims to find ways to radically improve the quality of the drinking water, especially for locals and tourists. The idea is to find solutions which can also be successfully transferred to other rural areas in the region.
There are two parts to this cooperation project: Firstly, a small enterprise will be established to manufacture cheap drinking water filters for homes in Achocalla using local clay. Secondly, a water kiosk is to be set up and equipped with a Skyhydrant filtration unit to supply drinking water to the small snack bars which are located around the shore of the lake and cater to the needs of the tourists.
Ecological factors and sustainability are important aspects of both project initiatives. The manufacturing and sale of water filters creates jobs in the small enterprise, and the sale of "Drinking water from Achocalla" finances the operation of the water kiosk and promotes local tourism. What's more, the excellent quality of the water will naturally improve the health of the population. The documentation of both parts of the project will help this integrated approach attain "good practice" status and so be worthy of transfer to other regions or countries.
Celebratory inauguration of the Achocalla Water Kiosk
Project partners:
Swisscontact – Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation
Cooperative of small business operatives around the Achocalla lagoon
Municipality of Achocalla
Small private business owners in Achocalla
Coordination with Bolivia's Ministry of Environment and Water
