a water report from: the Kumpi Mayu Foundation Transforming the world… drop by drop The Kumpi Mayu Foundation is dedicated to transforming the world’s water so that it is healthy for all. The foundation is currently working with La Comunidad de Huayllarqocha (pronounced: why yar ko cha) near Cusco, Peru. The investigation was initiated when members of the community expressed concerns to members of the foundation about the health and well being of the inhabitants, particularly the young people. In response to the expressed concerns, members of the Kumpi Mayu Foundation visited Huayllarqocha. In collaboration with community elders, the governing board and other members of the village, foundation members interviewed a representative sample of village families and collected water samples. In this report we examine the findings and propose next steps.  La Comunidad de Huayllarqocha La Comunidad de Huayllarqocha, a community of approximately 80 families, 400 individuals, is a small Quechua village in the Andean mountains of Peru (Altitude: 12368 ft.) outside Cusco and contiguous with Sacsayhuamán. Dating back thousands of years, Sacsayhuamán is considered one of the great wonders of the world. This sacred site, built from massive boulders, is engineered with such precision mortar is not required. It is impossible to slide a blade of grass between the enormous stones. A place of whimsy and magic Sacsayhuamán remains the sacred guardian of the Andean people. La Comunidad Huayllarqocha (Quechua for “the community that is a sacred place of peace, joy and harmony”) maintains the traditions, beliefs and practices of their Incan ancestors. In accordance with their Quechua traditions, the orienting principal of the community is AYNI. This means living in reciprocity and sharing in the labor of the community – “no one carries too much or too little.” Daily life includes expressions of deep gratitude for all gifts from Pacha Mama (mother earth). The picture below captures the traditional sun greeting (Taitai Inti) made each morning to express continuing gratitude for all they have and will receive.  La Comunidad Huayllarqocha is a small farming community. Individual families own some farms, while others are co-owned by collectives of families. There are three small shops that sell food, beverages and cleaning supplies. In the center of the community there is a restaurant and folk art store. Employment outside the community is rare. The level of income within the village is very meager. Those fortunate enough to have employment outside the community find the added income a great help.  This picture gives a glimpse of the homes in this community. Each family lives in a small compound made from adobe brick. Each compound consists of a building where the families sleep, cook and are sheltered during inclement weather; and a patio which shelters small animals such as chickens, dogs, cats etc. The patio also provides a place to gather, do laundry, cook and complete essential daily hygiene activities. Although this community is less then a half hour drive from Cusco, the inhabitants have virtually no access to the advantages of urban life. For example, there is no phone service, no health services, nor a school in the village. Each residence has one faucet that delivers cold water. No homes have bathrooms, showers or sinks. The only electricity is one light bulb in each house. Huayllarqocha: A water inquiry  Research Methods Two kinds of data were collected in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of water condition and use: (1) data on the health and well being of community inhabitants, and (2) water samples from each of the sources that provide water for the community. 1) Health Data: Once we explained the kind of information we were looking for, Huayllarqocha elders expressed a concern that the community would be hesitant to give direct answers about their personal life and hygiene habits to strangers to the community. As a result, twelve members of the community volunteered to be part of the research team to collect survey data in order to get more comprehensive and accurate information. Each volunteer received training in how to conduct an interview and fill out the survey. The research team conducted twenty interviews. As mentioned previously 400 individuals live in the community and approximately 80 families. The twenty interviewees were from different families, thereby allowing us to gain information on approximately one quarter of the population. Each member of the research team conducted one or two interviews. The interviews were collected in one day. 2) Water Data: Water samples were collected from twelve locations in and around the community. See the map below for locations of the sources of water for the community. The residents of Huayllarqocha built a lagoon (#1) at the foot of the village in order to raise farm fish (see photo above) and promote tourism. The water comes from wells in and around the community and from rain. None of the residents of the community use the lagoon water for any other purpose. Three locations near the houses are used for collecting and storing water (# 2, # 3, # 4). Farther up the hill are six springs (# 5- #10) that feed water to theses locations. Two additional springs (# 11-12) are located within the boundaries of the community. At this time these two additional sources are not connected to the supply lines that bring water to community residents. Water samples were collected on two days. Collection on the first day was from all twelve sites. On the second day most sites were re-visited but there was some confusion about the numbering and labeling of the samples. The first water collection was done in collaboration with a member of the Kumpi Mayu Foundation. Members of the La Comunidad Huayllarqocha did the second collection of water samples. Once the members from the Kumpi Mayu Foundation returned to the United Sates all samples were sent for analysis to the Advanced Technologies & Testing Laboratories, Inc. The results from the laboratory are attached to this report. The map below shows locations of water sources.  Preliminary Findings 1) Health Data: Huayllarqocha elders, the governing board and other members of the community were very helpful in gathering information about the conditions of life in their village. The following summarizes the data gathered from surveys and interviews. Basic services to the community are minimal. As indicated above, the community has twelve sources of water. Water comes to most of the houses via PVC pipes. Houses with piped in water, have only one cold-water faucet. Construction of a sewer system was started, but is incomplete and not in service. No home has sanitary services, such as a toilet or traditional outhouse. For sanitary purposes each residence has what village informants call ‘latrinos secos.’ Each village house is built on roughly the same design, a small adobe building surrounded by a patio area. The building serves as sleeping and living space as well as protection from inclement weather. The patio area is where small animals (i.e. chickens, dogs, cats) are kept. Generally the families cook and eat in this patio. Latrino secos are also in this patio. Latrinos secos are holes dug within each of the patios. When the hole is full, they make a new latrinos secos within the same patio. Each residence has minimal access to electricity. Most houses have one light bulb. Electrical services cost families approximately one fifth of their monthly household income. There is no telephone or Internet service. Some community members have cell phones, but there is no signal within the boundaries of the community. Huayllarqocha has no schools. School-age children go to school in Cusco and get there by a variety of means. Some public transportation is available. Most community residents do not have cars. A few community members drive taxicabs in near-by Cusco and bring their taxi’s home at night. If their schedule permits, they can take children to school. No local heath services are available to Huayllarqocha. With only limited public transportation and few private vehicles available, regular and emergency health treatment is difficult and costly to access. Human waste is buried. Any organic waste that results from left over food is composted and used for farming. All other kinds of waste are collected by individual residents and disposed of in Cusco or other locations. 2) Water Data: The Kumpi Mayu Foundation was invited by La Comunidad de Huayllarqocha to investigate possible problems with the water two years ago. At that time, we made an initial visit and collected some samples. Since community members were not familiar with correct water sampling procedures, this initial collection of water was not done systematically. Results showed extremely high contents of arsenic. The second collection reflected in this report, which was systematic, showed safe levels of arsenic. Such disparities in findings suggest the need for additional water sampling to generate conclusive results. Both reports are included in the appendix. Health concerns expressed by residents Interviewed residents were particularly concerned about the health of the children. They reported an unusual number of re-occurring colds, flues and stomach aliments among the younger members of the community. Of the twenty families interviewed, nineteen reported reoccurring health concerns. Given that the twenty families interviewed represent approximately one quarter of Huayllarqocha’s population, we find the issue of re-occurring illnesses to be significant. An illness was identified as “re-occurring” when informants reported a particular condition happened six or more times during the one year. Nineteen of the twenty families interviewed reported frequent incidents of vomiting, headaches and earaches among family members. These occurrences were more prevalent among the children. Three of the families reported more than six occurrences of influenza in a year. Fourteen families reported prolonged and frequent diarrhea. Thirteen interviewees said their families suffered from chronic stomach ailments. Thirteen interviewees also expressed concern about the number of re-occurring skin irritations and problems. Three of the interviewed families said that their children or other family members had frequent and prolonged open sores. Occurrences of illnesses of this type have been known to occur when there are high quantities of arsenic in the water and/or unsafe sanitary practices. Community Water use practices A number of water use practices could be contributing to the frequent illnesses and other community health issues. Some public water sources are used for cleaning food such as raw chickens and other meat as well as a source of water for household use. We did not ask how food was washed in the individual houses, this is a potential issue for follow-up research. Our investigations did not reveal any common systems or practices for boiling water or other water purification methods. Latrinos secos are probable water contamination sources. We find it perplexing that the two water tests should have such vastly different findings.  Needs expressed by the community The final area of our investigation included resident priorities for improving the health and wellbeing of community life. Eighteen of the twenty focal families responded (Please see table below). Eighteen families stated that water quality was the first or second highest priority in the community. The quantity of the water was the number one priority for one person, rated a third priority by four families, and number four priority by the remaining thirteen families. Sixteen interviewees identified sewage and waste disposal as either their first or second serious concern, it rated a third priority by the remaining two families. For one person the quality of electricity available in each home was the second most serious concern. The lack of sufficient low-cost electricity was the third priority for twelve families and considered the fourth priority by five others.
Summary of findings and proposed next steps The results of this initial collaborative investigation into the water conditions and health concerns of La Comunidad de Huayllarqocha reveal a number of water and health concerns. While there are disparities is the analysis of the water quality, it appears that the health of community members may be compromised as a result of less than optimal water use practices and potential water quality problems. Current public community water use and family waste disposal practices appear to contribute to reported frequent and prevalent illnesses of community members, especially children. For example, the use of public water supplies for cleaning poultry and animal carcasses is a known containment of drinking water. We did not include questions in the survey about how water is used within the family compounds, but we assume similar practices are in place. In addition, there appear to be no common water purification practices within this community. Based on these initial findings, we believe that several relatively simple actions can be quickly undertaken that would result in significant improvements in the quality of life for La Comunidad de Huayllarqocha. These include: · Move all the latrinos secos from within the housing compounds · Improve the ways sewage and waste are disposed in the community · Seek a cheap effective way for the community to purify the water they drink The Kumpi Mayu Foundation is committed to an on-going collaboration with La Comunidad de Huayllarqocha to improve the community’s health and water conditions. Given the importance of these issues, we feel it is urgent to collaborate with an organization such as Engineers Without Borders to immediately address both the simple and the more complex water issues confronting this community. Financial support is needed to follow-up our initial investigation and begin to provide assistance to this community. We have identified the following next steps: · Do a comprehensive follow-up investigation to verify our findings and concerns · Systematically collect additional water samples to resolve the discrepancies · Collaborate with La Comunidad de Huayllarqocha to initiate community education · Heighten awareness of water safety and sanitation issues · Implement sustainable practices that improve the health of community members We are grateful to the La Comunidad Huayllarqocha who welcomed us with open hearts and taught us much about their lives, their traditions and ways of respecting mother earth and life itself. It is our desire to continue our collaboration to ensure the health of this community in ways that are consistent with sustaining their traditions and their mountain environment. |
