Water as a source of development

Hierve el Agua is one of Mexico's most spectacular natural wonders. Located in the state of Oaxaca, these petrified waterfalls were formed millions of years ago by carbon-saturated water flowing from above. The Zapotec people considered Hierve el Agua a sacred space, where they even developed an irrigation system.

The sulphurous puddles become panoramic pools, whose warm waters spill over the waterfall, forming a landscape of exquisite beauty. The water has a temperature of around 24°C and the waterfalls are some 30 meters high. The spring that the water comes from has been turned into a large swimming pool that currently functions as a natural spa, taking advantage of its thermal waters.

However, despite enjoying this hydrological treasure, many families in Oaxaca lack access to reliable water and sanitation in their own homes. The lack of access to these services, which are fundamental to human development, hinders households from carrying out productive, educational and family activities.

These difficulties are, in turn, compounded by health problems resulting from that very same lack of basic services. In rural areas, people have to travel long distances to get water. This task predominantly falls on women and girls.

Turning on a tap and getting clean drinking water, showering in the morning before going to school or work, cooking, doing laundry, brushing your teeth. We do these things every day without a second thought. But for many people they are impossible.

Although we will be focusing specifically on Oaxaca in this report, we feel it's important to remember that the lack of access to water and sanitation is widespread around the world. The numbers are alarming.

Some 30 % of the world's population lacks access to safe drinking water. And this figure shows little sign of improving, even with international efforts. The climate crisis is having a serious impact on water availability worldwide. Oaxaca in particular has been affected by a 40 % reduction in rainfall in recent years.
Water shortage affects 40 % of the world's population.
Some 60 % of the world's population has no access to safe sanitation facilities. A healthy home environment is essential to a healthy life and preventing diarrhoeal diseases and pandemics such as COVID-19.

acciona.org has been working in the most remote and poorest rural areas of Oaxaca (Mexico) since 2012.

Huge population dispersal and poor communications infrastructure in rural Oaxaca make conventional supply (distribution networks) in these communities tremendously complicated.

In partnership with the Oaxacan government, AECID and AMEXCID, the EncASa Oaxaca programme was launched in order to help alleviate this situation.

The aim of the programme is to improve the living conditions of Oaxacan households in small rural communities that are living in poverty or extreme poverty, by providing access to basic energy, water and sanitation services.

Several water abstraction, purification and sanitation systems are available to offer access to water and sanitation. The water abstraction systems are based on improving existing infrastructure, rainwater harvesting and well pumping; the water purification systems are based on filtering, ultraviolet light and chlorination; and the sanitation systems include dry toilets and green filters.

The technology that has made the greatest impact in these homes has been the dry toilet — a sanitation system that is just as hygienic as a regular toilet but obviates the need for water through the use of a drying mixture (lime and soil) that prevents odours, insects, infectious diseases etc.

INFOGRAPHIC. Water as a source of development

Through acciona.org, we have provided access to safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation that is affordable and sustainable for developing communities. To do so, we seek the most appropriate solutions according to their natural resources, climatology, socioeconomic profile etc.

The work done by the Water and Sanitation area of acciona.org is directly linked to Sustainable Development Goal 6 of the 2030 Agenda: "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all", and specifically to the targets it outlines:

To achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

To achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all

Since we began these activities in Mexico over two years ago, drinking water and improved sanitation have reached six particularly isolated communities. As a result, some 400 people have seen their quality of life improve thanks to access to these basic services.

The impact of this work on the people that are benefiting from it is also helping to achieve the objectives of reducing poverty, hunger, disease and inequality, promoting education, work etc.

We have recently begun scaling up this water and sanitation initiative to benefit more people in Oaxaca, with the same purpose of promoting sustainable development, while making sure that nobody gets left behind.

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