21 June 2022

Friends,

In the past week, we welcomed two more of our excellent student team members, Mara and Risa. Together, our team visited two new communities in the Ccorca District: Ccollana and Antaccasa. There, we worked with our local partner, Angelica, to facilitate an in-depth discussion with the water management teams known as JASS (Junta Administradora de Servicios y Saneamiento). In fact, this conversation bridged three languages: English, Spanish, and Quechua! We do this to ensure that all voices and perspectives are clearly heard from the local JASS groups to 33 Buckets student team members.

In Ccollana, we learned that the JASS group is well-organized and especially motivated to maintain effective water management practices. However, their existing treatment and available resources present significant challenges to its community members. For example, the operator of the treatment system explained that he spends hours heaving water from inside the reservoir to an elevated tank; he explained this activity is only possible because he is young and able. JASS Ccollana expressed a desire to try a new approach to chlorine disinfection, given the guarantee that they remain in charge of their communities’ water. This is a guarantee that 33 Buckets always provides.

In Antaccasa, we had an enlightening discussion about their existing approach to water treatment and health in the community while addressing questions about how 33 Buckets may be able to support. We learned the operator of the treatment system has significant difficulty in maintaining consistent residual chlorine levels (chlorine disinfection is the primary form of water treatment in the Cusco region and most parts of the world). In other words, contaminated water often reaches the taps of households. For this reason, community members spend time and resources each day boiling their water as they do not believe the chlorine disinfection system in place is sufficient to clean their water and make it safe for consumption.

Our discussions with the JASS groups in Ccollana and Antaccasa are prime examples of how working with people, face-to-face, results in a greater depth of understanding and trust. Leveraging our engineering background, we pair these discussions with a technical assessment of the existing water-related services. Our team administers water quality tests, estimates available water quantity, and much more. For these communities this is just Step 1 in improving long-term access to clean water by collaborating with 33 Buckets. Stay tuned to watch these partnerships grow and learn more about the solutions and support we bring to the table.

Pura Agua, Pura Vida

Daniel Hoop
Executive Director