Desafío Agua Para Chile continues to provide running water: this year sees new localities and upwards of 500 families in the regions of Biobío and Araucanía

17 families in the community of José Cayuman de Lumaco, in the region of Araucanía, are living a brand new day-to-day having benefitted from the first stage of the project “Desafío Agua para Chile”. 

 “When you have small children it is so much more complicated not having running water. You spend so much time hauling water, and you still have to be there for the children. With no water, everything gets that much more difficult, especially with the children’s hygiene, cleaning the house, washing clothes and preparing meals”, describes Rosa Leviqueo, a member of the community. 

However, she adds, “now we get really good water that benefits everyone in the community, and with it I can grow my own fruit and vegetables at home, I can clean everything, and that’s really good for us, compared to before when we didn’t have water”. 

Gauging life with water scarcity, and definitively living without access to water can be difficult to imagine when you live in a city with a structured connection to basic services. But, where there is no running water the only alternative is to siphon water from natural springs when available, or wait for a water tanker. 

In the face of the harsh reality of a rural lifestyle in the regions of Biobío and La Araucanía, the project Desafío Agua para Chile, driven by Desafío Levantemos Chile and CMPC, has implemented a series of projects in under six months to provide concrete solutions for an initial 200 families, and a further 300 this year; providing them water for irrigation and human consumption. 

“The Desafío Agua para Chile program has been a absolute success every time that, in conjunction with the community, we have found diverse ways to provide water for irrigation, promote food production and for human consumption. The quality of life for these families has increased significantly since the start of the initiative” explains Nicolás Birrel, Executive Director of Desafío Levantemos Chile.

For the manager of Corporate Affairs at CMPC Zona Sur, Mr. Augusto Robert, “continuing with these projects and getting potable water to families living in distant rural townships in the south of Chile, not only provides a means for growth, but also for social development. In the initiatives that are already in place we have seen how these neighbors have had a better quality of life, increased income, and have been able to share more with their families”

Among the communities that already have potable water there is Marileo in Lautaro; Chanquín-Millaray, Lolcura, Ignacio Levío and the neighborhood council of Lolcura in Collipulli; the community of José Cayman and Lower Liucura in Lumaco. Soon the project serving a group of small-scale flower and vegetable farmers in Peleco, Cañete; Saltos de Chancagua and Santa Ema de Lautaro will also be ready. 

One of the latest projects belongs precisely to the community of José Cayuman, located in the municipality of Lumaco. Thanks to a public roadway there is now access to the area of Calcoy, where the community is located. In the first and initial stage the project Desafío Agua para Chile benefitted 17 families; in the following stage an additional 15 families in the community will benefit from the initiative. 

It was dialogue that bridged the gap to fulfilling an almost impossible dream for the community of José Cayuman in Lumaco. For many years they had been waiting for a solution said Francisco Cayuman, one of the benefitted partners, and who participated in the works implementing the project. It explains his excitement as he watches the spring water fill his tanks, where it is purified; a dream that became a reality. 

“It’s terrible living without water, you can’t grow anything, and it’s especially difficult for women. Having running water at home is really great, we have water for the kitchen, bathrooms, for a shower. It’s clean water, it’s been huge progress having running water in our homes; and, we are going to take great care of it, for the future of our children, my grandchildren. Water is a resource we have to safeguard and use rationally” comments Cayuman.

In the meantime, Marcelo Colil, representative for the 17 families in the community of José Cayuman, was very grateful for the initiative which has already had an impact on their quality of life. “We have been waiting years for approval of an APR, and nothing comes of it; with this project, within twenty days we had potable water at home, and good water, so, as neighbors of CMPC, we are most thankful. The company gave us this project which has been extremely important, and I’m happy because my people, partners, neighbors, can once again grow produce for the home and set up greenhouses. The partner I talked to is really happy with the water because the project was implemented and impacted on us quickly, within a few weeks we had running water in the house”. 

Through the program other irrigation projects have also been implemented in support of horticulture, fruit production and farming for rural families, which not only helps them become self-sufficient, but also provides commercial opportunities selling their produce: generating a positive social and economic impact. 

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