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In Ecuador, the Ministry of Health (Office of the Pinchicha Province), implemented a two-year solar water disinfection project according to the SODIS method in the peri-urban area of La Concordia with the technical assistance of the SODIS Foundation. This area was chosen because it lacks basic sanitary services and the population has very high levels of diarrhoea. 600 families of the area were trained in the correct application of SODIS as well as other simple practices which decrease diarrhoea rates. After the implementation of the project, 420 families - 70% of the population trained during project implementation - regularly use SODIS as their preferred method to treat drinking water. A central factor for the success of the project implemented was the high level of commitment of the staff of the Ministry of Health at all levels. Doctors, nurses, assistants as well as local leaders and teachers were the key actors of during the project.
The project is located some 180 km to the North-West of Quito, Ecuador’s capital. The average altitude is 450 meters above sea level, the climate is moist, and the temperature lies between 23 and 30 °C. Around 20’000 people live in the project area, a peri-urban neighborhood of Santo Domingo de Los Colorados.
People in the region in general do not have access to improved water supply. 20% of the population in the central part of the project area are connected to a water supply distribution network. The water supplied through the network is sourced from a deep well. The remaining population uses shallow hand dug wells. Most of the houses have their own well, the depth of these wells in average is 12m. Only 30% of the people boil the water used for drinking. During a baseline survey people indicated that they were interested and motivated in improving the quality of their drinking water. This was an important factor for the selection of the area during project implementation.
There are two public health centres in the region, six private health centres, birth houses and traditional healers. The prevalence of diseases caused by waterborne pathogens is very high and among the top causes for the high mortality rates.
90% of the inhabitants of the region belong to the racial group of the “Mestizos”, 10 % are black. The main source of income and activity is agriculture. Many people work on their farms. Their average income is around 100 dollars per month. The houses are made of wood and brick, the roofs are mostly zinc sheets and the fl oors earthen. There are 15 schools in the project area. On average, the families have 5 members.
The objectives of the project were to reduce the number of cases of diseases caused by the consumption of unsafe water by using a water treatment method at household level and to raise the awareness on the importance of good hygiene practises and their positive health impact.
The principal actors of this project were the staff of the health posts of La Concordia, local leaders, teachers, and families of the area, the Ministry of Public Health at Province level, and the SODIS Foundation.
The project duration was two years. During the first year, all the households were visited on a monthly basis. During the second year, every three month a monitoring process was carried out.
The total costs of the project were USD 12,072. Of these costs, USD 7,395 were covered by the Health Ministry (DPSDP), and USD 4677 by the SODIS Foundation. This results in per capita costs of USD 4 for the project implementation, mostly used for training, promotion and follow-up activities.
At the end of the project, 70% of the trained families regularly are using solar water disinfection for the treatment of their drinking water. It is typical for the coastal area of Ecuador that people got closely involved with the project activities. There was great enthusiasm and acceptance of the new method by the users, the level of participation during the training sessions as well as during special events of the project was very high.
It is worth pointing out the high level of commitment of the staff of the Ministry of Health at all levels. Doctors, nurses, assistants and statisticians were involved and cooperated to a high degree. Also the teachers of the local schools participated actively in the project, thus further multiplying the effects of the project.
Water samples were analysed by the health staff before and after exposing the bottles to the sun. The results were presented during community meetings. They clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of solar water disinfection and greatly improved the credibility of the method. Thanks to the involvement of the health posts, a signifi cant reduction in child diarrhoea rates could be achieved.
The families in the project regions have learned that drinking unsafe water and not washing hands before eating and after going to the toilet are risky behaviours. They are aware that they have to boil the water or use solar water disinfection before they drink it.
In Ecuador, more than 3 million people do not have access to safe water. They live mostly in the rural area and in peri-urban regions of the cities. Constructing water supply networks for these people requires investments of millions of dollars for infrastructure, which are not available in the short term. Until the needed infrastructure is available, solar water disinfection can be used at household level to improve the quality of the water consumed. As the Ministry of Health in Ecuador is responsible for water quality surveillance, they are planning to replicate the experience made in La Concordia in other regions of the country, in the peri-urban as well as in the rural area, giving priority to the most vulnerable zones with low water quality and diffi cult health situation of the local population. The simplicity and the low costs of the method increase its probability to be accepted and used by the population. Therefore, promotion and diffusion at a larger scale is foreseen for the near future. A fi rst step in this direction was the signature of an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the SODIS Foundation External, in which the two parties defi ne their roles in the diffusion process on a nationwide scale.
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