Rainwater Harvesting for Supply in Informal Settlements
Summary
Rainwater harvesting and purification systems have been installed in households across Mexico City's informal settlements, by both municipal and non-governmental actors, ultimately providing 100,000 of the megacity's most vulnerable citizens with enhanced access to potable water.
Water security in Mexico City (CDMX) is complicated by the many informal settlements that have mushroomed across the city as a result of urbanization. While 59% of CDMX's population is below the poverty line, an estimated 22% of the population lives in informal settlements, or slums, which are usually located in areas of higher elevation and are thus beyond the reach of the centralized water supply system (Bruce et al., 2020; Gutierrez, 2019; Chelleri, Schuetze & Salvati, 2015). Although access to water is recognized as an inherent right by Mexican law, the provision of water to physically inaccessible informal settlements is often not feasible.
In other instances, however, informal settlements have inconsistent access to water supply (Gutierrez, 2019). In the borough of Iztapalapa, for example, water supply is suspended for long periods of time, sometimes for as long as 15 days (Gutierrez, 2019). As such, residents of districts lacking access (or continuous access) to the public supply system typically resort to buying trucked water from private vendors - known as pipas - which can be 500 times more expensive than water from the municipal supply (Gutierrez, 2019; Bruce et al., 2020). Despite the megacity's chronic water stress, Mexico City also experiences regular flooding on an annual basis, which further degrades infrastructure and renders informal settlements particularly vulnerable to flood risk.
Intervention
In 2009, Isla Urbana , a US-/Mexico-based NGO committed to combating water insecurity, began installing rainwater harvesting and purification systems in informal settlements in CDMX's southern peripheries (Isla Urbana, 2020). In 2016, perhaps recognizing the success of rainwater harvesting programs led by Isla Urbana and others, Mexico City's government launched a rainwater harvesting program of its own, called 'Agua a tu Casa' ('Water to Your House'). The program's goal was to consolidate rainwater reuse in the city and to enhance access to affordable potable water in marginalized areas such as Xochimilco and Iztapalapa, with the goal of enhancing water access for a minimum of 10,000 people (Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2017; Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de México, 2020). Considered a 'social program' outside the realm of traditional water management, the 'Agua a tu Casa' program sought to alleviate a number of social issues related to basic human rights, including access to water and basic infrastructure necessary for public health (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018). The implementation of rainwater harvesting and purification systems allowed for decentralized water management in informal settlements that are typically excluded from the formal supply system.
The 'Agua a tu Casa' program is focused on simultaneously enhancing water conservation by minimizing dependence on overexploited aquifers and increasing access to potable water for marginalized communities by making use of a readily available natural resource (i.e. storm-water). Rainwater harvesting and water purification systems are installed in houses, apartments and public buildings. Target groups are defined as '1,088,928 people in Mexico City who present low and very low levels of the health adequacy component according to the Social Development Index', which are primarily inhabitants of CDMX's informal settlements (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018). Recipients receive a delivery of rainwater harvesting systems, provision of domestic water purification filters, installation of purified water-dispensing machines for carafe filling and, ultimately, provision of water services by the system (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018).
Challenges
Despite the initial success of the 'Agua a tu Casa' program, continued project implementation was terminated due to budget constraints (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018). As such, the program was not able to address the full scale of water insecurity in the megacity's informal settlements, as the 80,000 beneficiaries of the program amount to only a small fraction of the city's residents living with inadequate access to water (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018; Bruce et al., 2020; Gutierrez, 2019). Ultimately, water insecurity continues to be an issue for many of Mexico City's lower-income residents.
Outcomes
Due to budget cuts, the 'Agua a tu Casa' program was suspended in 2018, although rainwater harvesting efforts in CDMX by NGOs like Isla Urbana are still ongoing (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018; Isla Urbana, 2020). Ultimately, these rainwater harvesting efforts had a number of significant positive outcomes. Primarily, the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in informal settlements decreased dependence on overexploited aquifers and increased access to affordable potable water for citizens living in marginalized communities. Each rainwater harvesting system guarantees the supply of up to 40,000 liters of drinking water per year, which amounts to an annual saving of approximately $200 per family (GOE, 2019). Furthermore, the 'Agua a tu Casa' program improved water governance in informal settlements through decentralized water management, which allowed for independent water management by families living in communities excluded from the formal system. Since the program's inception, over 500 rainwater harvesting systems and 10,000 water purification devices have been installed, benefitting nearly 80,000 people in Mexico City (GOE, 2019; Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de México, 2020). In addition to providing consistent access to water, 'Agua a tu Casa' has also succeeded in providing safe access; the water purification systems installed mitigate 99% of pathogenic bacteria, thereby ensuring high-quality water and minimizing the risk of water-borne illnesses.
Overall, the installation of rainwater harvesting and purification systems throughout CDMX has succeeded in enhancing safe, convenient, consistent and affordable access to water for thousands of families in the megacity's informal settlements. As a result, the 'Agua a tu Casa' program, as well as the ongoing efforts by Isla Urbana , can be deemed successful in that they have helped alleviate water insecurity issues for some of Mexico City's most vulnerable residents.
References
Rainwater Harvesting for Supply in Informal Settlements
Summary
Rainwater harvesting and purification systems have been installed in households across Mexico City's informal settlements, by both municipal and non-governmental actors, ultimately providing 100,000 of the megacity's most vulnerable citizens with enhanced access to potable water.
Water security in Mexico City (CDMX) is complicated by the many informal settlements that have mushroomed across the city as a result of urbanization. While 59% of CDMX's population is below the poverty line, an estimated 22% of the population lives in informal settlements, or slums, which are usually located in areas of higher elevation and are thus beyond the reach of the centralized water supply system (Bruce et al., 2020; Gutierrez, 2019; Chelleri, Schuetze & Salvati, 2015). Although access to water is recognized as an inherent right by Mexican law, the provision of water to physically inaccessible informal settlements is often not feasible.
In other instances, however, informal settlements have inconsistent access to water supply (Gutierrez, 2019). In the borough of Iztapalapa, for example, water supply is suspended for long periods of time, sometimes for as long as 15 days (Gutierrez, 2019). As such, residents of districts lacking access (or continuous access) to the public supply system typically resort to buying trucked water from private vendors - known as pipas - which can be 500 times more expensive than water from the municipal supply (Gutierrez, 2019; Bruce et al., 2020). Despite the megacity's chronic water stress, Mexico City also experiences regular flooding on an annual basis, which further degrades infrastructure and renders informal settlements particularly vulnerable to flood risk.
Issue
Intervention
In 2009, Isla Urbana , a US-/Mexico-based NGO committed to combating water insecurity, began installing rainwater harvesting and purification systems in informal settlements in CDMX's southern peripheries (Isla Urbana, 2020). In 2016, perhaps recognizing the success of rainwater harvesting programs led by Isla Urbana and others, Mexico City's government launched a rainwater harvesting program of its own, called 'Agua a tu Casa' ('Water to Your House'). The program's goal was to consolidate rainwater reuse in the city and to enhance access to affordable potable water in marginalized areas such as Xochimilco and Iztapalapa, with the goal of enhancing water access for a minimum of 10,000 people (Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2017; Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de México, 2020). Considered a 'social program' outside the realm of traditional water management, the 'Agua a tu Casa' program sought to alleviate a number of social issues related to basic human rights, including access to water and basic infrastructure necessary for public health (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018). The implementation of rainwater harvesting and purification systems allowed for decentralized water management in informal settlements that are typically excluded from the formal supply system.
The 'Agua a tu Casa' program is focused on simultaneously enhancing water conservation by minimizing dependence on overexploited aquifers and increasing access to potable water for marginalized communities by making use of a readily available natural resource (i.e. storm-water). Rainwater harvesting and water purification systems are installed in houses, apartments and public buildings. Target groups are defined as '1,088,928 people in Mexico City who present low and very low levels of the health adequacy component according to the Social Development Index', which are primarily inhabitants of CDMX's informal settlements (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018). Recipients receive a delivery of rainwater harvesting systems, provision of domestic water purification filters, installation of purified water-dispensing machines for carafe filling and, ultimately, provision of water services by the system (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018).
Challenges
Despite the initial success of the 'Agua a tu Casa' program, continued project implementation was terminated due to budget constraints (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018). As such, the program was not able to address the full scale of water insecurity in the megacity's informal settlements, as the 80,000 beneficiaries of the program amount to only a small fraction of the city's residents living with inadequate access to water (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018; Bruce et al., 2020; Gutierrez, 2019). Ultimately, water insecurity continues to be an issue for many of Mexico City's lower-income residents.
Outcomes
Due to budget cuts, the 'Agua a tu Casa' program was suspended in 2018, although rainwater harvesting efforts in CDMX by NGOs like Isla Urbana are still ongoing (Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México, 2018; Isla Urbana, 2020). Ultimately, these rainwater harvesting efforts had a number of significant positive outcomes. Primarily, the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in informal settlements decreased dependence on overexploited aquifers and increased access to affordable potable water for citizens living in marginalized communities. Each rainwater harvesting system guarantees the supply of up to 40,000 liters of drinking water per year, which amounts to an annual saving of approximately $200 per family (GOE, 2019). Furthermore, the 'Agua a tu Casa' program improved water governance in informal settlements through decentralized water management, which allowed for independent water management by families living in communities excluded from the formal system. Since the program's inception, over 500 rainwater harvesting systems and 10,000 water purification devices have been installed, benefitting nearly 80,000 people in Mexico City (GOE, 2019; Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de México, 2020). In addition to providing consistent access to water, 'Agua a tu Casa' has also succeeded in providing safe access; the water purification systems installed mitigate 99% of pathogenic bacteria, thereby ensuring high-quality water and minimizing the risk of water-borne illnesses.
Overall, the installation of rainwater harvesting and purification systems throughout CDMX has succeeded in enhancing safe, convenient, consistent and affordable access to water for thousands of families in the megacity's informal settlements. As a result, the 'Agua a tu Casa' program, as well as the ongoing efforts by Isla Urbana , can be deemed successful in that they have helped alleviate water insecurity issues for some of Mexico City's most vulnerable residents.
Issues |
|---|
Water Scarcity and Access |
Solutions |
|---|
Affordable & Inclusive Water Access |
References
Bruce, A., Brown, C., Avello, P., Beane, G., Bristow, J., Ellis, L., ... & Matthews, N. (2020). Human dimensions of urban water resilience: Perspectives from Cape Town, Kingston upon Hull, Mexico City and Miami. Water Security, 9, 100060.
Chelleri, L., Schuetze, T., & Salvati, L. (2015). Integrating resilience with urban sustainability in neglected neighborhoods: Challenges and opportunities of transitioning to decentralized water management in Mexico City. Habitat International, 48, 122-130.
Global Opportunity Explorer (GOE). (2019). Mexico City: Harvesting Rain to Reduce Water Scarcity. Global Opportunity Explorer. (2019, May 28). https://goexplorer.org/mexico-city-harvesting-rain-to-reduce-water-scarcity/.
Gobierno del Ciudad de México. (2017). Programa Agua a Tu Casa. Comunicación Social CDMX. http://www.comunicacion.cdmx.gob.mx/noticias/nota/programa-agua-tu-casa.
Gutierrez, J. (2019). Water Scarcity and Supply Challenges in Mexico City's Informal Settlements.
Isla Urbana. Urban Systems. Isla Urbana. (2020, January 6). https://islaurbana.org/english/urban-systems-2/.
Programas Sociales del Gobierno del Ciudad de México - Secretarías. (2018). Retrieved July 23, 2020, from http://www.sideso.cdmx.gob.mx/index.php?id=756
Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de México. (2020). Ficha Informativa: Agua en Tu Casa (México, Gobierno de la Ciudad de México, Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de México).
Watts, J. (2015). Mexico City’s water crisis–from source to sewer. The Guardian, 2015.