For the families of a Salvadoran village, building a community water project with a solar-powered pumping system initially seemed like an improbable feat. Despite their doubts, they successfully completed the project, bringing much-needed drinking water to their homes.
34% of Rural Salvadorans Face Urgent Water Shortage
In El Rodeo, a small village in the department of Cabañas, drinking water is an urgent need. The government doesn’t supply it to rural communities in this part of northern El Salvador, and according to official figures, 34% of the country’s rural population lacks access to piped water in their homes.
The community organized to source water from local springs. But when the board of directors announced the pumping system would be solar-powered to cut costs, the decision was met with collective disappointment.
“When solar energy was mentioned, the community’s hopes for reliable water seemed to vanish; they were sceptical and lost faith,” said Marixela Ramos, a resident of El Rodeo.
At the time, however, solar energy was the most practical solution for a village focused on subsistence farming.
“Given the small number of families, connecting it to the national power grid wouldn’t be financially viable,” added Ramos, the secretary general of the El Rodeo board of directors.
El Rodeo’s Solar Project Highlights Community Efforts
The El Rodeo solar project is the most innovative in the area. Other villages in the Department of Cabañas also rely on community-run initiatives for their water supply, managed by local Water Boards (Juntas de Agua). The largest of these is Santa Marta, home to approximately 800 families.
Across the country, other rural communities rely on similar methods because of the government’s shortcomings in providing water to its 6.7 million residents.
El Salvador has approximately 2,500 Water Boards, which serve 25% of the population, or around 1.6 million people.
El Rodeo’s Spring Purchased for $5,000
The El Rodeo system is fed by a nearby spring called Agua Caliente. Because the spring was on private land, the community purchased the water rights from the owner for $5,000 with funding from international organizations.
From the spring, water is directed into a 28-cubic-meter catchment tank. A five-horsepower pump then transfers the water to a distribution tank on a hill, from which it is gravity-fed through pipes to local homes.
To power the pumping system, 32 solar panels were installed on a roof about five meters high. For a monthly fee of five dollars, families receive about 10 cubic meters (10,000 litres) of water per month.
“Before, we had to go to the wells and rivers to fetch water. Now it is easier; we get the water right in the house,” said Ana Silvia Alemán.
The construction of the water system in El Rodeo was a collaborative effort between several Salvadoran and international organizations, including the Washington Ethical Society, the City Council of Bilbao, IngenierÃa sin Fronteras, and the Rotary Club.
