Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes

by Caminos de Agua
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Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes
Clean Drinking Water For When Disaster Strikes

Project Report | Nov 25, 2019
Water, Water, Everywhere, But Not A Drop To Drink

By Paco Guajardo | Associate Director

Allie and Aaron, R&D Coordinators present Aguadapt
Allie and Aaron, R&D Coordinators present Aguadapt

On September 16th, 2017, a deadly Category 5 hurricane wreaked havoc on many Caribbean islands - including Puerto Rico. Out-dated, but crucial, infrastructure was destroyed. The islands flooded quickly. However, despite the abundance of water, access to safe drinking water became an urgent concern. The only solution available at the time – shipping in plastic bottles – was an inadequate response.

That same month, two powerful earthquakes shook Mexico. First, a magnitude 8.2 quake left many communities disconnected from their water sources in Southern Mexico. Days later, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the states of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico City. Buildings collapsed throughout the region where hundreds of people died and thousands more were injured. One headline buried amongst the rubble was the sudden lack of water infrastructure to support a now vulnerable population.

A Call to Adapt

In the days following these disasters, Caminos de Agua received numerous requests for our ceramic filters. We were able to provide a limited response in Southern Mexico. However, at the time, we were a smaller organization and relied solely on our artisanal production. Furthermore, our filters were much too large to ship in the quantities that were desperately needed. 

Due to these limitations, we were unable to respond to other requests. These catastrophic events were a wake-up call for Caminos. We started looking at the global impact of our technology development and during the next two years we took on the challenge to reach further.

We asked ourselves, how can we adapt our ceramic filters so they can be easily shipped and installed in any available domestic container in a emergency relief situation? Then, we took it a step further and started thinking about how we could also adapt our filter to deal with regionally-specific contaminants – from arsenic and fluoride in our region, to pesticides in Southeast Asia, lead in Flint, Michigan, etc.

One design iteration led to another, and by outsourcing production and thousands of hours of staff and volunteer work, we came up with Aguadapt. This innovation can be deployed for emergency relief and later transition to a permanent water solution for families. It received an awared form the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (for latest developments on Aguadapt clink on the Impact as Outcome link below).

The Time is Now

We must adapt to a world that will see more frequent and devastating natural disasters. This time, Caminos de Agua needs to be able to respond. Your donation enables us to provide safe drinking water next time disaster strikes – whether in our region, or hundreds or thousands of kilometers away.

As you plan your end of year donations consider donating to Caminos de Agua and make access to safe and clean water a reality for communities at risk.

ASME experts gave our team valuable input
ASME experts gave our team valuable input
Focusing on having a greater impact
Focusing on having a greater impact

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Organization Information

Caminos de Agua

Location: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato - Mexico
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Twitter: @caminosdeagua
Project Leader:
Dylan Terrell
San Miguel de Allende , Guanajuato Mexico

Funded Project!

Combined with other sources of funding, this project raised enough money to fund the outlined activities and is no longer accepting donations.
   

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