Safe Water Access for rural communities in Ecuador. June, 2012
Regarding this, Graphic 2 shows the connection that exists between knowing how to clean the filter and problems posed, especially with blockage. The families that know how to clean the filter correctly are the ones who have the fewest problems with it. However, it could be observed that few families knew how to clean the filters, they didn't do it frequently, and they waited until the filter was completely blocked to clean it. In other families, the syringe had been lost, or the family members didn't know how to clean it. Likewise, it could be observed that in the Graph 2 vast majority of the families, it was the adults who cleaned the filter, and it was usually the wife and mother of the family who took the responsibility of cleaning the filter in the majority of cases. Regarding this, a quick test was also administered to find out the quantity of water that flowed out of the filter in a set time. Of the 30 samples taken from random families from three communities in each region, the chart shows the difference in the water flow compared to the data from December 2011. The average water flow per filter was 22.6 liters per hour. It is not possible to make a generalization about all the communities because the sample is very small and doesn't consider other factors such as the size of the water receptacle, water turbulence, cleanliness of the filter and pre-filter, etc. What the graph does reflect is the decrease over time of the quantity of water passing through the filter. Because of all of this, monitoring is very important, since it allows us to reinforce what we know about the care and cleaning of the filter and analyze water sources and types of containers used. During visits by the promoters and personnel of Map to families, they have been permitted to better explain maintenance procedures and recommendations to all members of the family. This has helped reduce blockage problems significantly. One problem that came up in 10 families was the hardening of the syringes. It appears that the internal rubber expands and hardens. This has stopped these families from cleaning the filter.
Geovanny Santamaria. gsantamaria@map.org Quito-Ecuador