Water is currently delivered from two types of suppliers. Drinking water suppliers and suppliers that providing water for washing. The wash water is 66% cheaper than the drinking water.
All of the water tested during the assessment trip tested positive for coliforms (bacteria), and some of the water tested positive for fecal coliforms.
Clean water was voted the #1 health challenge by the community.
Cerro Verde experiences 48 cases of preventable illnesses related to water contamination each year.
These illnesses impact the communities children the most.
They agreed a good next step would be to develop in-home filtration systems, such as a biosand filters, to ensure affordable and clean water for the families. With the implementation of in-home filtration systems, the community could purchase the more affordable wash water, which would save the families money, while at the same time providing safe clean water.
