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The provision of drinking water is as much a social issue as it is a technical one.  Claire Furlong* reports from Bellavista Nanay, Peru.

The improvement of drinking water quality and quantity in low- and middle- income countries is a noble task which we as environmentalists, engineers and policy makers have set ourselves through country and worldwide initiatives. Before this can be achieved though we need to acknowledge that people are choosing their water sources and treatment technologies. From the failure of many drinking water improvement projects we know that installation or supply does not equal 'adoption' of an improved water source or treatment technology.  The project I am working on is trying to investigate these issues in the community of Bellavista Nanay, Peru.

You might be asking why I chose Bellavista Nanay?  After speaking to a local community leader there was an interesting problem. The community had an improved drinking water supply (municipally-treated, chlorinated water supplied by a standpipe) but preferred to drink river water.

Bellavista Nanay is a small peri-urban community in the middle of the Peruvian Rainforest, on the outskirts of the city of Iquitos, an incredibly interesting city found on the banks of Rivers Nanay and Itaya (tributaries to the River Amazon). Its claim to fame is that it is the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road and is considered a border city, due to its proximity to Colombia and Brazil. 

Many water-related diseases are prevalent in this area due to the climate, landscape and water practices. Malaria and dengue fever are endemic, cholera, yellow fever, protozoan and bacteriological diarrhoeal diseases are common. There is no wastewater treatment throughout Iquitos. Wastewater is directly discharged into the rivers which are used for drinking water. There is a modern water treatment plant, but the city is flat and the water is distributed inefficiently by pump which causes inequalities in the service received. Contaminants infiltrate the water distribution system due to the lack of pressure.

Bellavista Nanay is an isthmus of land surrounded by the River Nanay. The settlement is situated five kilometres north of the city centre, along the road of Aviendida la Marina. A small port is at the northern end of the community, where water taxis can be taken to smaller communities on the Amazon. In the rainy season the river rises two to three metres, so houses closer to the river are built on stilts.

My project included testing the drinking water quality of samples taken directly from drinking water sources and from households, carrying out a detailed survey, keeping a field diary and interviewing people. The community was very open, welcoming and interested in what I was doing. This is evident in the 80 percent response rate to my questionnaire. An interesting point is that although 80 percent of the households had electricity and 76 percent had televisions, only 20 percent had access to tap water and 14 percent still defecated in the open air.

The drinking water practices within the community were more complex than originally thought. People were utilising four sources of drinking water at the time of questioning; tap or standpipe water, bought bottled water, water from a tanker and river water. An informal trade in drinking water was uncovered.  Households with tap water were selling water to family and neighbours. The use of household or point-of-use treatment was high, with over half of respondents reporting use of one or more methods. The incidence of self- reported, water-related illness was high. Thirty-eight percent of households had one or more members who were ill.  It was found that respondents who treated their drinking water within their homes were less likely to have inhabitants which had been or were ill at the time of questioning. This was not surprising once the results of the household drinking water samples were analysed.

The samples of drinking water that were taken from the households were clean aesthetically, but only 30 percent reached the accepted microbiological standard. Evidence was found that drinking water was being contaminated in the home. This was due to the need for storage as none of the supplies were continuous.

Bellavista Nanay is not a water poor community, so it seems ridiculous that it has a lack of safe drinking water. With non-continuous supplies there is a need for safe storage and point-of-use household treatment, a point which water engineers should consider.  Drinking water issues are often more complex than originally thought and cannot be looked at in isolation from other issues such as sanitation, education, hygiene, and water quantity. Community participation is the way forward, as with any project. Being embedded within the community provided insights beyond the scope of the traditional engineering research.

I will be returning to Bellavista Nanay this month - during the rainy season - when I will be investigating a number of issues that were uncovered during my first field trip.  Undertaking work in a low- or middle-income country is challenging to say the least. Father Joe Plumb's advice to me on arrival was, 'You have to bend with the wind or you will snap or be blown over.' That, I think, says it all.  Flexibility and adaptability are two of the key qualities needed, but the rewards gained from working in these countries are immense.

The author would like to acknowledge: Dr C A Paterson and Prof N L Laurie for their supervision; the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, University of Newcastle for their support; the EPSRC for funding this project; Erika and Andy, my trusted field assistants; Father Joe Plumb for putting up with me; and last, but by no means least, the community of Bellavista Nanay which made this project so successful and enjoyable.

*Claire Furlong is a member of CIWEM and a PhD student at the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at University of Newcastle.