COMMUNITY OF ZACAMIL DOS
WATER PROJECT REPORT
Overview
El Salvador, due to its population density and poverty rate, has one of the highest
deficits in clean, potable water in the Western Hemisphere after Haiti. Many villages
like Zacamil Dos have relied on women and children bringing water from nearby
springs, often expending 2-3 hours of work each day. In addition, this lack of clean
water often results in negative public health issues.
Fortunately, El Salvador still has many natural springs and is located at a latitude
where sun light (an average of 10 hours a day) is consistent throughout the year.
Using the power of the sun can help provide water to rural communities where there
are less economic opportunities to sustain more expensive electrically powered
projects.
In 2008, CoCoDA partnered with Rotary International, Kent Coalition, Patchwork
Central, the local NGO – CRC – and the Municipality of Suchitoto to assist the
community of Zacamil Dos with one of the first solar powered community water
systems in El Salvador. This report tells the story of that initiative and its successful
implementation in Janaury of 2010.
Member of Zacamil 2 carrying the water pump.
History
The Zacamil estate was property of a rich landowner before the civil war in El
Salvador. After the signing of the peace accords in 1992, ending a 12-year armed
conflict, the communities that had been displaced returned to repopulate their former
territories. When land was redistributed after the war, many families from other parts
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of the country settled in Zacamil. The estate was divided into two communities, now
known as Zacamil Uno and Zacamil Dos.
The community of Zacamil Dos officially repopulated on April 12 of 1992, with
families coming from the refugee camps in Mesa Grande, Honduras. As was the case
for many repopulated communities, these families had to build from scratch. There
were no schools, no houses, or latrines – there was nothing but a cobbled road leading
to the highway that goes from Aguilares to Suchitoto.
The villagers, through hard work, international solidarity and the assistance of the
local NGO - CRC (Committee of Reconstruction and Socioeconomic Development of the
Communities of Suchitoto), were able to build houses little by little, as well as
introduce electricity and other projects with the help of the municipal government of
Suchitoto. However, an expensive water system was beyond their means.
Woman returning after washing clothes.
To obtain water villagers had to haul it from a nearby spring which was about a 15
minute walk from the closest home in the community. The need for a potable and
accessible water system grew in priority as the community developed. In 1998,
leaders of the community went to look at a natural spring located on the foothills of
the Guazapa volcano as a potential source for a gravity fed water system.
Unfortunately, after speaking with the spring owners, they were unable to reach any
agreement. At the same time, they were conducting periodical meetings with the
Suchitoto municipal government. During these meetings, they requested assistance
with the building of additional housing in the village. Once again, the water system
became a secondary priority.
Ten years later, CoCoDA, the CRC and the Municipality partnered to address the
community water issue. After several community meetings, a village water board
(ADESCO) was formed and trained, engineering and water testing was completed and
a fundraising campaign commenced. In 2010, this $51,000 water system was
complete and brought clean water to the 40 home and 170 people of Zacamil Dos.
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Project Description and Implementation
Building a solar power water system was a unique challenge for CoCoDA and its
partners with the Zacamil Dos project being one of the first of its kind in El Salvador.
The engineering was fairly straight forward, but convincing people of its feasibility
was difficult. Initially, the village was skeptical. Could solar power satisfy their needs?
It seemed too good to be true. Local enginner, Rene Luarca Maiti, when asked if he
believed solar power would work, replied, “We do not believe it. We know it will
work!” Jose Zavala, a member of the ADESCO., said, “We worked on the project, even if
there were many doubts about it.”
The village was encouraged by the possibility of using solar energy to lower the costs
of the water. Similar projects in other communities, using electricity, often required
monthly fees that would financially stretch many families. Yet without buy-in from
the entire village an electrical system was not sustainable. During rough times, if
families couldn’t pay their fees, the project would become unsustainable. Solar power
reduced fees by nearly 60%, with the only maintenance costs being repairs and water
treatment. Solar power seemed the only answer for Zacamil Dos.
The natural spring was tested and found to produce 13 liters per second, more than
adequate to meet the needs of the community. Engineering plans were drawn up.
The system would pump water during the daylight hours from a collection tank at the
spring to a distribution tank at an elevation of 46 meters. The distribution tank was
equipped with access and mechanisms to treat the water. A gravity feed system then
distributed the water from the distribution tank to metered faucets at each home.
With the labor of the villagers and the expertise of the CRC engineers, the project was
completed in six months. This included delays as the solar panels were temporarily
held in customs.
Installing the panels in the tower.
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Finally, once the community obtained the panels from customs and installed the
system, the first test run was performed. “Once I saw the water coming out, I felt
something flutter in my stomach; it was joy that water was finally getting to my home”
said Higinia (Patricia) Hernández, a member of the community. The new system could
provide water to the community each day.
All doubts were gone. Water was available with the help of solar energy! Today, the
project works successfully and carries water to 40 families in the community, where
around 170 people live. Though many people still choose to visit the springs to bathe
or wash or as a social activity, they finally have clean, affordable water in their homes
every day.
The dream comes true. Water reaching the distribution tank for the first time,
Impact
Since the implementation of the project in 2010, the quality of life in the community
has improved tremendously. Here are some of the testimonies of the community
members:
“Before working on this project, life was much more difficult because we had tough
schedules. We had to gather water at long distances and we struggled finding enough
space available near the wells or springs”
“The kids had to sit in their towels for hours while the clothes were being washed”.
“When the husbands and kids went to bathe, they would help the women carry back
heavy laundry baskets full of wet clothes because the women would be carrying the
washed corn, the dishes and their babies.”
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“If we had to travel to Suchitoto or anywhere else, we would bathe really early in the
morning at the spring and would come back as if we hadn’t taken a bath at all, we
would be covered in mud, especially during the winter”
The water project made water convenient, saved hours of time going back and forth
from the spring, allowed families to spend more time at home, and was more sanitary.
Even more importantly, clean water meant less illness. Life in Zacamil Dos is easier
today because all of the time these people invested in finding clean water can be used
for work, play, education and some well-earned rest.
This project accomplished its mission of pumping water with solar energy, and
excelled at being economically and environmentally sustainable. It demonstrated to
the people of Zacamil Dos and to all those who were watching that this experiment
with solar power was a viable and affordable way to bring water to a community.
Challenges
Since 2010, all has not been easy. For example, initially the fees charged to families
were actually too cheap. This led to families using too much water and the system
designed to provide water for many hours often was dry by mid morning. Villagers
had to learn conservation and fees had to be adjusted upwards.
Another organization came and built a second distribution tank, but failed to upgrade
the pumping capacity to fill that tank. Though disappointed, the village learned
valuable lessons about capacity and sustainability.
The community has learned valuable lessons in organization. Maintaining the
treatment of the water has had to become a habit. Repairs have had to be made to
distribution lines. People have had to take ownership of their water project by
electing responsible leaders to monitor and maintain the system.
Finally, the drought in Central America has threatened the viability of many springs.
While the springs at Zacamil Dos have not been impacted as of yet, the village has had
to confront issues of land usage, especially regarding the recharge area above the
spring. Deforesting can destroy springs.
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Acknowledgments
This project was a collaboration of the following organizations:
CoCoDA
Rotary Club International
Suchitoto Municipal Government
CRC
Kent Coalition for Sanctuary
Patchwork Central
Expenses and Income
DETAIL
AMOUNT
Materials
$12,299.37
Non-Technical Labor
$2,468.40
CoCoDA Adm.
$4,350.00
CRC Adm.
$4,150.00
Solar Equipment & Install
$17,210.50
Technical Labor
$5,000.00
Inflation & Unforeseen
$4,013.43
Miscellaneous
$1,508.30
TOTAL
DETAIL
$51,000.00
AMOUNT
Municipal Government
$5,000.00
Community
$2,468.40
Rotary International
TOTAL
$43,531.60
$51,000.00
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