Yesterday (February 26, 2019), Mano a Mano staff visited our newest water reservoir project in Maldonado, Bolivia – and it’s at close to full capacity of its maximum water level.
Mano a Mano staff started work on this water project in February 2017. As with many of our projects, the working conditions have been difficult: it is about 14,000 feet above sea level, and it is cold, wet, and windy.
This project will make it possible for 96 subsistence farm families (about 600 people) to irrigate 250 acres of cropland and to water their livestock, as well as having water for household use.
With the recent severe drought in Bolivia, with effects felt for many years, water projects like this one are especially important to help rural communities manage their resources throughout the year.
Because of the need, water projects are a high priority for Mano a Mano and the communities that we partner with. In addition to building large-scale water reservoirs, we also build surface wells and small water ponds in communities where the smaller projects are a better fit.