Water Resource Development

Developing water resources using low-cost, innovative and clean technologies.

TERRA emphasizes cleaning water contaminated with acid mine drainage and making communities resilient to droughts and the loss of water from disappearing glaciers.

Scattered trash in PoopoNo community should be without clean drinking water and sanitary facilities that properly dispose human waste and garbage. The lack of these basic necessities leads to serious illnesses, greatly contributes to infant morality, and is the primary cause of perpetuating extreme poverty—it is difficult for people to work and earn a living wage when they are constantly sick and weak.

Drilling in Jankusaya Water sources for communities in the Bolivian Altiplano are threatened by acid mine drainage (AMD), climate change and poor sanitation. In the case of AMD, rivers, lakes and groundwater are contaminated with harmful heavy metals, killing aquatic life and endangering humans that consume the water. Due to recent changes in climate, all glaciers are rapidly disappearing. With current rates of glacier retreat, thousands of people may be without water within twenty years. Finally, many communities lack basic sanitation facilities or have latrines that directly empty into rivers, contaminating water with dangerous pathogens.

Windmill in Jankusaya

TERRA targets motivated communities where water resource development immediately improves health, income, the environment and/or resiliency to natural disasters. in additin, TERRA introduces innovative technologies that lower costs while improve function. To improve access and quality of water and to improve sanitation conditions, TERRA aids communities with the following projects:

  • acid mine drainage restoration,
  • ground water development in glacial-fed systems,
  • potable water wells and pumps driven by clean energy,
  • water storage tanks and community distribution systems,
  • water quality analysis and improvements,
  • latrine construction,
  • waste management,
  • education.

Each year more than five million people die from water-related disease. The leading cause of child death in the world is diarrhea.