Guatemala
by Ava A., Danielle, Summar
Guatemala & Water:
How insufficient access to clean water contributes to other societal problems
There has not been a law written about the use and abuse of the National waterways. This leads to having rivers used for sewage disposal. An abundance of water through rainfall and other water resources exists.The parts of the country that have more rainfall are less populated, whereas in Guatemala City, which is very densely populated, has less rainfall and altitude. By having people be uneducated about water contamination, the surface water and shallow groundwater is being polluted. Sewage and pesticides, animal waste, and other agricultural waste cause biological pollution of water near densely populated areas. Another problem with water supply is deforestation. The deforestation laws are very hard to implement and have changed the dynamics of the hydrologic cycle. When deforestation occurs, sedimentation is carried in the national waterways decreases the supply of surface water accessible.
How does insufficient access to clean water contribute to other societal problems?
When people don't have access to clean water they can get sick from the bacteria in the contaminated water. The water is contaminated by the buckets they carry it in, and by their hands they frequently stick into the buckets. When children get sick from this water they can experience fatal diarrhea and vomiting. These parasites are fatal and will kill young children and older adults in an instant. Another issue is getting girls education. The women and girls are the people in the family that need to fetch the water every day from the pond.Girls can't go to school and unfortunately they are getting so far behind they are having to drop out. Education in the country is so important though, and if they aren't getting education then they won't know what to do and how to wash their hands, and brush their teeth and many vital things for life.
How are some of the water problems being addressed?
No one controls any of the water resources, but a national commission for safe drinking water and sanitation is being proposed this year. Rain catchment tanks would be good for Guatemala because they have a lot of rain and a tropical climate. Rain catchment tanks can also hold about 100,000 liters or more. They could also use water wells, too, but they are very expensive and cost about $40,000 for 1,000
people and $700 for 500 people. Wells are also very deep sometimes and might require diesel power pumps. Also, if a well breaks down, the cost can rnge from $1,200-$4,000 depending on the repairs needed. Small Dams (weirs) could also be effective but they are meant for heavy tropical rainfalls that don't occur too often.
There has not been a law written about the use and abuse of the National waterways. This leads to having rivers used for sewage disposal. An abundance of water through rainfall and other water resources exists.The parts of the country that have more rainfall are less populated, whereas in Guatemala City, which is very densely populated, has less rainfall and altitude. By having people be uneducated about water contamination, the surface water and shallow groundwater is being polluted. Sewage and pesticides, animal waste, and other agricultural waste cause biological pollution of water near densely populated areas. Another problem with water supply is deforestation. The deforestation laws are very hard to implement and have changed the dynamics of the hydrologic cycle. When deforestation occurs, sedimentation is carried in the national waterways decreases the supply of surface water accessible.
How does insufficient access to clean water contribute to other societal problems?
When people don't have access to clean water they can get sick from the bacteria in the contaminated water. The water is contaminated by the buckets they carry it in, and by their hands they frequently stick into the buckets. When children get sick from this water they can experience fatal diarrhea and vomiting. These parasites are fatal and will kill young children and older adults in an instant. Another issue is getting girls education. The women and girls are the people in the family that need to fetch the water every day from the pond.Girls can't go to school and unfortunately they are getting so far behind they are having to drop out. Education in the country is so important though, and if they aren't getting education then they won't know what to do and how to wash their hands, and brush their teeth and many vital things for life.
How are some of the water problems being addressed?
No one controls any of the water resources, but a national commission for safe drinking water and sanitation is being proposed this year. Rain catchment tanks would be good for Guatemala because they have a lot of rain and a tropical climate. Rain catchment tanks can also hold about 100,000 liters or more. They could also use water wells, too, but they are very expensive and cost about $40,000 for 1,000
people and $700 for 500 people. Wells are also very deep sometimes and might require diesel power pumps. Also, if a well breaks down, the cost can rnge from $1,200-$4,000 depending on the repairs needed. Small Dams (weirs) could also be effective but they are meant for heavy tropical rainfalls that don't occur too often.
Photographs are courtesy of the following websites:
http://countrymeters.info/en/Guatemala https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Flag_of_Guatemala.svg/2000px-Flag_of_Guatemala.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Contra_Bass_Marimba_from_Emil_Richards_Collection.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guatemala_on_the_globe_(Americas_centered).svg https://worldhelp.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Guatemala_Dec10_495-682x1024.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1363/1478175758_6dffb8385a_b.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Chichicastenango_market_2009.JPG https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Guatemala_Topography.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Antigua_cathedral_2008_06.JPG
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Nuestros_Angeles_de_El_Salvador.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Idiomasmap_Guatemala.svg/2000px-Idiomasmap_Guatemala.svg.png http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar238720&st=guatemala#tab=homepage https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cc.html http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/11906?q=guatemala&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit http://moon.com/2014/02/religion-in-guatemala-mayan-spirituality-catholicism-and-christianity/ http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar238720&st=population+of+guatemala#tab=homepage https://www.charitywater.org/projects/countries/guatemala/ http://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/guatemala/Guatemala-Health-and-Disease http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/Portals/46/docs/military/engineering/docs/WRA/Guatemala/Guatemala%20WRA%20English.pdf
http://countrymeters.info/en/Guatemala https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Flag_of_Guatemala.svg/2000px-Flag_of_Guatemala.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Contra_Bass_Marimba_from_Emil_Richards_Collection.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guatemala_on_the_globe_(Americas_centered).svg https://worldhelp.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Guatemala_Dec10_495-682x1024.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1363/1478175758_6dffb8385a_b.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Chichicastenango_market_2009.JPG https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Guatemala_Topography.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Antigua_cathedral_2008_06.JPG
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Nuestros_Angeles_de_El_Salvador.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Idiomasmap_Guatemala.svg/2000px-Idiomasmap_Guatemala.svg.png http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar238720&st=guatemala#tab=homepage https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cc.html http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/11906?q=guatemala&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit http://moon.com/2014/02/religion-in-guatemala-mayan-spirituality-catholicism-and-christianity/ http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar238720&st=population+of+guatemala#tab=homepage https://www.charitywater.org/projects/countries/guatemala/ http://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/guatemala/Guatemala-Health-and-Disease http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/Portals/46/docs/military/engineering/docs/WRA/Guatemala/Guatemala%20WRA%20English.pdf