- The Department of La Guajira, led by its government, has put in place a plan to construct, expand and optimize its mains water, treatment plants and sewerage systems in order to improve the level of water services across its whole jurisdiction.
ACCIONA, in collaboration with the municipality of Dibulla, Aguas de Dibulla ESP, CorpoGuajira and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) inaugurated on March 17th the drinking water plant that will ensure a supply of drinking water for the Wiwa de Seyamake community in the municipality of Dibulla (Colombia), as part of ACCIONA’s social action programme in the region.
The drinking water plant has a capacity to treat one cubic meter per hour. It is equipped with a 5,000 liter storage tank and powered by photovoltaic energy. The start-up of the plant will ensure access to drinking water for 42 families in the area (more than 200 people), improving their living conditions and helping them to remain in the area and continue their culture.
The new treatment plant ensures that the water is fit for human consumption since it no longer needs to be taken directly from the river, while also stabilizing access to this resource dependent on weather conditions. The Wiwa community in the area previously spent more than two hours every day obtaining water for their daily needs and this time can now be spent improving their quality of life.
Gabriel Gil, a teacher in the community, said, “This plant will prevent children and adults suffering from disease epidemics”. He went on to point out that the plant is very simple to use and the community has reacted positively.
The drinking water plant provided to the Wiwa de Seyamake community in Dibulla can be managed by the community themselves, which makes it more sustainable over time. The plant can be operated with some basic and accessible training. It also benefits from very low running costs and is self-powered thanks to its photovoltaic panels.
Bienvenido Mejía, mayor of Dibulla, said, “The water supplied by this plant to the community will benefit them greatly in terms of their health”.
The project to install the drinking water plant is part of ACCIONA’s social action measures. The company has carried out a water optimization project to ensure 24-hour continuity of the drinking water supply in a pilot sector of the municipality of Riohacha. It has also expanded and modernized the Metesusto drinking water plant in the municipality of Fonseca.