One of Guatemala's most alarming issues is the lack of access by all of its residents to a clean, safe water supply.Like other developing country cities, Guatemala City grew very quickly during the 1980s. Its population almost doubled in under 40 years, from 477,000 in 1955 to 946,000 in 1995, and the metropolitan region is even larger, comprising approximately 3 million people.
A large portion of the residents live in precarious and illegal squatter settlements. These have grown up because there is not enough housing for all the new arrivals to the city in the legal neighbourhoods. The residents of the squatter settlements have no legal rights to the land, pay no taxes, and receive no city services. Their homes are without water or toilets. Most residents obtain their water from a few public taps or from privately owned water trucks. Water purchased from these trucks is often contaminated. Because they do not own their own homes, most residents cannot obtain credit to invest in improving housing standards and infrastructure.
Because of poor living conditions, including the lack of clean water and the consumption of contaminated water, people in these settlements suffer many health problems. Prime among them is the high incidence of often fatal diarrhoeal diseases. A 1990 study found that the prevalence of acute diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections in precarious settlements was more than twice as high as in the rest of the city. Infant mortality rates, which increased by 10% between 1979 and 1984, exceed 64 per thousand live births and can reach as high as 130 in many of these settlements. Many residents are not aware of the relationship between their living conditions and health problems.
After an outbreak of typhoid fever, residents of El Mezquital, a squatter settlement of 9400 families in Guatemala City, got help from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to support the installation of an emergency water supply system.Working with the French organisation, Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), and with a community association, UNICEF purchased and helped distribute the construction materials for 13 community water taps, which were installed by local volunteers.
Soon after the pipes were laid in El Mezquital, a change in city government provided the opportunity for a more broad-based effort to address similar problems in other settlements. UNICEF, in co-operation with a local organisation called COINAP (Committee for the Attention to the Population of Precarious Areas in Guatemala City) started working with communities to help identify the best ways to provide water to the residents. Community volunteers were trained to conduct surveys to determine the extent of the health problems. Next they met with the COINAP technical team to discuss the volunteers' ideas about possible solutions. Volunteers were also taught how and why diarrhoea occurs and how to prevent children from being infected. As the community members learned more about the health impacts, they became strongly motivated to help improve their living conditions.
Two different models for improved water supply were developed: the single-source tank and the well. Both required active community involvement, outside technical help, and the institutional support of COINAP.
In Chinautla (one neighbourhood of Guatemala City), residents asked the city to install the single-source water tank. Such units are usually installed only on a temporary basis at construction sites. From this single source, the community created a supply network to reach individual residences. UNICEF provided the funds for the pipes and other materials, and each family provided its own home connection. The local community association receives the bill from the water company, and it collects payment from residents for the water they have used. A resident chosen by the community from residents is set aside for maintenance, and any surplus will go toward other local infrastructure needs such as drains and sewers. Although the cost of the water is more than the cost of households connected to the city water system, it is still far less than the exorbitant rates the private trucks had charged.
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