“We Now Have More Water”
17 January 2006
Cleaning up streams that feed into Lake Imbakucha in Ecuador has helped double the amount of water available to communities in less than two years.
Lake Imbakucha is the principal source of water and the major tourist attraction in Otavalo, Ecuador. Surrounded by mountains, the lake is fed by water that flows down from the peaks, some of which soar to 12,000 feet above sea level.
Just a few years ago, the lake was in serious trouble. Deforestation and heavy farming increased erosion and the flow of sediments into the lake. Household disposal of waste increased pollution.
Perhaps most importantly, falling amounts of water from streams feeding the lake dangerously lowered the lake’s water level. “In the summer we didn’t have any water and we realized that it was not only a problem for the lake. Our communities also depended on the water that fed the lake,” said Ana Lucía Tocagón, a 20-year-old woman from the community Chaupinti-Caluquí.
For the past 18 months, Tocagón has taken part in a community program promoted by CEPCU, one of Oxfam America’s partner organizations in Ecuador, to maintain high Andean moors, known as páramos, and mountain slopes.
“We got organized through CEPCU. We began taking care of the moors 18 months ago and only a short time after that the water level began rising,” said Tocagón, who takes part in the group with nine other young people. They are in charge of maintaining five of the 15 slopes that are part of CEPCU projects, funded by grants from Oxfam America.
The highland moors—the source of Lake Imbakucha’s water—are home to only scrub grasses and a few species of trees. The grasslands and trees keep moisture in the ground. The water comes to the surfaces in springs that feed streams, which run down toward the lake, supplying communities along the way with fresh water.
Over-grazing of animals, slash-and-burn agriculture, logging, and the introduction of new grain crops contaminated the streams and began reducing the quantity of water flowing into the lake.
Tocagón and her young colleagues are in charge of removing plant debris and garbage from the streams, and making sure fences are in place so animals do not enter the streams and foul the water. This helps keep the water clean and flowing. They also plant a kind of local grass, Yahual, which helps retain moisture and adapts well to the moors.
Between 400 and 500 people take part in these projects. They maintain 15 of the 50 streams that run into the lake, and have planted 100,000 native and foreign trees as part of the reforestation program. Twenty-five of the 37 communities near the lake benefit from their efforts. “The work requires a great deal of community support,” said Marcelino Valenzuela, who has managed the Oxfam America-supported projects in CEPCU for the past four years. “Even though it is a lot of work, it is worth it,” said Valenzuela.
Ana agrees with the CEPCU leader. She said that the results are worth the work and that there are some communities where the amount of water available is now double what it was before the program started. “The Poyuco stream was dry and it now has water. All the residents are happy, because we only had a little water before. One summer we even had to ration it, with one sector receiving water one day and another sector the following day. That’s not the case anymore. Now we all have water all day.”
