Improving Water Access and Health through Rainwater Harvesting: Perceptions of an Indigenous Community in Jalisco, Mexico

Shiara K González-Padrón,Amy M Lerner,Marisa Mazari-Hiriart

doi:10.3390/su11184884

Shiara K González-Padrón, Amy M Lerner + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su11184884

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Abstract

This article presents a mixed methods case study of an isolated indigenous community (the Wixaritari) in Jalisco state, Mexico, where the patterns of access to water have been changing due to Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RWHSs). The lack of water in this region is extremely precarious; women and children spend approximately one to three hours a day fetching water, and families live with less than 20 L per person/day. To better understand the relationship between water access and health derived from the use of RWHSs, we first analyzed epidemiological data (2014–2017) from cases of Acute Diarrheal Diseases (ADDs) and household water quality. Next, we surveyed households on water access after the introduction of RWHSs, including questions about perceptions of health problems associated with water. The results revealed that the introduction of RWHSs water access in this community has increased quantitatively and qualitatively and the incidence of ADDs has decreased significantly. However, the surveys and interviews indicate a disconnect between the incidence of ADDs and perceptions of health problems. We conclude that RWHSs can have tangible benefits, but they can be potentially undermined by perceptions of communities that have different understandings of the cause of disease.

Highlights

The United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly and the Human Rights Council recognized the human right to water in 2010 [1]
The Mezquitic municipality is classified by the National Population Council (CONAPO) as one of the municipalities with the highest degree of marginalization (the Marginalization Index at the municipal level was carried out with information captured in the Survey of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) according to the level or intensity of nine types of deficiencies encompassed in four socioeconomic dimensions: education, housing, population distribution and monetary income) in the country and with the lowest Human Development Index (HDI) (the Human Development Index (HDI) measures an average achievement in key dimensions of human development: life expectancy, education, and income), 0.440, compared to the national HDI which is 0.774 [18,19]
The access to water over the last four years has changed with the implementation and adoption of Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RWHSs), and the results of this analysis show that water access through this technology is associated with improved water quality, quantity, and a reduction in the incidence of gastrointestinal disease

Summary

Introduction

The United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly and the Human Rights Council recognized the human right to water in 2010 [1]. In Mexico, approximately 10 million inhabitants live without access to safe drinking water and those communities most affected by water scarcity are often rural and indigenous [4]. Solving the water scarcity situation may positively impact reducing disease, improving health and well-being, in rural communities. The Wixaritari (plural Wixarika) communities are a isolated indigenous group in Mexico and still retain their pre-Hispanic traditions, such as language and cosmovision [17]. They are located in the Sierra Madre Occidental, in the North of the State of Jalisco, in the Mezquitic municipality (Figure 1).

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