Indigenous communities in Argentina adapt to the lack of water due to climate change

In an arid and remote area of ​​Santa Victoria Este, in the province of Salta (Argentina), indigenous communities face a serious water crisis.

Scattered over a vast region of 400,000 hectares, some people cannot access this resource in sufficient quality and quantity.

In certain areas, groundwater contains high levels of saltmaking water obtained from traditional wells unsafe for drinking and caring for livestock. Scattered settlements and nomadic traditions have also prevented the construction of other types of conventional water infrastructure.

“In times of drought, water becomes very scarce, the soil does not produce vegetation, and access to water for human consumption becomes very difficult,” says Tatiana Pereira, president of the Chowhay Indigenous Cooperative.

To access water, the community has two main options: obtain it from various natural sources, such as lagoons, or rely on delivery by municipal tankers. Both come with challenges.

The water from lagoons and other natural sources is not suitable for human consumption.. Unequal access to land and water, coupled with increasingly frequent and intense weather events such as heavy rain, heat waves and droughts, can make traveling on foot a difficult and dangerous journey.

In the dry season, temperatures can exceed 50ºC and at the end of August some of the lagoons dry up.

Harsh weather conditions, logistics and long distances can also prevent water delivery trucks from reaching those living in the most remote locations.

A turning point

Following a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2020, a consultation process was established between national and local authorities and indigenous communities to make access to drinking water a reality for these most remote communities.

«For about 40 years we have been demanding that the national State recognize our rights. and our territory… [el acceso al agua] “It has been a very worrying issue, for many years,” says Ramón Pérez, representative of the Lhaka Honhat association.

Together with the Ministry of Public Works of Argentina and local organizations, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPSin its acronym in English) supports these efforts by providing drinking water to more than 350 people in 12 indigenous communities of Santa Victoria Este, through the construction of 75 rainwater collection and storage systems.

The 75 cisterns are equipped with water separation systems that allow possible particles and sediments to be differentiated so that the water collected is safe.

Each tank can store up to 16,000 liters, enough for a family to meet their basic needs for six months.which increases resilience to the long period of drought in the region.

«We looked for water at the dam, finished the water and returned to the dam. We worked a lot, there was a distance of almost a km. Today this has changed,” explains Feliciano Jaime, chief of the Pozo Bravo II community.

UNOPS/Erik Juan Petterson

A member of the indigenous community of Bella Vista talks with a UNOPS social worker

Not just water

The active participation of the communities and the close collaboration with social organizations, such as the Chowhay Indigenous Cooperative, Fundapaz and Asociana, was key to project success.

“With this project we get each community to decide where to install each work so that they feel calm,” says Cristina Pérez, president of the Lhaka Honhat indigenous association.

The population received training adapted to local traditions and practices. The use of Wichí and Toba language interpreters also allowed broad participation of the communities, for the proper use of the cisterns and the promotion of good water use practices.

«A gender, diversity and inclusion approach was implemented throughout the project. We worked with translators because in the communities there are some people who speak Spanish and others who do not, particularly women and children,” says Celina Moreno Cordeu, social worker at UNOPS.

The UN agency also provided support and training to strengthen local construction staff and guarantee the quality of the construction of the cisterns, promoting long-term sustainable development in the communities.

Nothing is wasted

«I have learned a lot about cisterns and being a bricklayer. I am using the leftover land to build my house.. “I’m making my little ranch,” says Alfonso Pérez, a worker at the Chowhay Indigenous Cooperative.

«It was a real team effort. The truth is that we are going to leave an optimal local workforce when the project ends,” says Luis Oggero, UNOPS technical supervisor.

Meanwhile, Tatiana Pereira, president of the Chowhay Indigenous Cooperative, assures: «I am the first woman to be part of the construction team. In our area it is very difficult to find formal work and many times our young people have to leave their place of residence to look for it. It makes me very happy that UNOPS has given jobs to our young people».

Beyond ensuring access and storage of drinking water for 75 families and improving living conditions and possibilities, the project is fueling ambitions. Some families are growing small gardens while others use their newly acquired knowledge to find new job opportunities. The roofs of the cisterns also protect the communities from the sun.

«Now we are thinking about making the garden with this water [de las cisternas] What are we going to have for irrigation? What we plant the most here is tomatoes and bell peppers,” says Rebeca Roldán, chief of the Pozo El Algarrobo indigenous community.

Rainwater collection and storage systems are improving healththe well-being and livelihoods of many families, reducing exposure to waterborne diseases and helping to increase resilience to extreme droughts and more frequent heat waves.

Project information

The construction of 75 rainwater collection and storage systems in northern Argentina is one of the components of a US$356 million seven-year project implemented by UNOPS with the Government of Argentina. The Federal Infrastructure Improvement Project for Sustainable Development in Argentina includes the improvement, renovation, reconstruction and optimization of public spaces and urban infrastructure and support for the response to the national health emergency, among others.

This history was originally published by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)