LAGUNA CARMEN DE PATATE, CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Community Water System Project

THE COMMUNITY

Laguna Carmen de Patate also known as Patate Viejo is a Zapatista community of 30 families and approximately 200 inhabitants.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

There are two water holes from which the community gets their water; one is for drinking and the other, the lake, is for washing clothes and bathing. Some of the houses also have rain catchment tanks to collect water during the raining season. During the dry season, the community trucks water from Ocosingo and fills up the tanks, although this becomes quite expensive.

During a recent site visit by a WEFTA volunteer, the community showed him a manantial (spring) approximately three kilometers from the community versus their water holes. The spring is at an elevation of 1,456 meters and the community is at an elevation of 1,405 meters. A formal project proposal and detail cost estimate is still pending.

An initial cost study prepared by the WEFTA representative that visited the community indicates that the total project cost will be approximately $9,900.