1st Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Capaderillo potential water Project

Record of Event pg 1 of 4
1st Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Capaderillo potential water Project

Where: Capaderillo Community (40 mins from SMA)
When: Wed 3rd March 12pm
Who: Elena Padilla & Laura Stewart (Rotary), Holly Yasui & Chela Martinez (for Cedesa) + 33 adults (including 6 men) & 10 kids.

Purpose: Preliminary Assembly re potential future water project in this community

History: Capaderillo is beside the Presa, on the road to Cruz del Palmar, approx 30mins by bike to Los Torres, the community we carried out the first water cistern project with.

Saul Juarez, a young man who lives in Capaderillo has attended several assemblies at Los Torres & CdP & VdA.

He is very keen to organise a project in his community & had done preliminary organising to inform the community, about the potential project & to attend the assembly. He has a list of names, but there are more people at today’s assembly so he will revise the list.

We arrived at 12pm, Saul was waiting & took us to the house at which the meeting was held. There were approx 15 people there when we arrived, many more arrived in the next 15 mins, we started the meeting as 12.15. Here are some discussion points before the meeting started.

Some facts:
• Capaderillo is ver close to Guerro & Vivienda de Abajo, school & kindergarten are almost neighbouring, yet they are in different communities.
• Capadarillo has approx 60 families.
• Some people are participating in a govt opportunities program & they will have a better census.
• A lot of the land here is Ejido (community co-op), approx 22-25 Ejiditarios.
• Majority do not have land rights, or land parcels.
• Parents have sold the land not realising the consequences, a comment was, “they think they can’t take it with them so may as well have the money to spend, rather than leave the land to their kids”...
• Saul has approx 40 people on the list at this point, after going door to door to explain the project.
• Kinder in Vivienda de Abajo has approx 50 kids
• Primary school in Capaerillo has approx 150 kids
• Telesecondaria in Vivienda De Abajo has approx 80 kids
• Women carry wáter to the schools from their own Wells.


Chela asked Elena to give an introduction, she talked about land is like children, we can’t really own it, but guide it & nurture it, & give it water & life.

Item 1: Introductions
We all introduced ourselves & gave a little background about our work together. Chela described the history of our relationship with Cedesa, starting with the diploma in water studies Cedesa gave for 8mths with UNAM. She described briefly the aquifer, & situation with contamination of fluoride in this area. She listed some of the health issues caused & this is why Cedesa & Rotary are working together with the communities to solve this.


Record of Event pg 2 of 4

Chela gave a history of the project in Los Torres & that’s where we met Saul Juarez. He has attended 2 assemblies in Los Torres & 1 in Vivienda de Arriba.

The community was then asked to introduce themselves.
Starting with Saul, who has been living in Capaderillo for 2 years, originally from Dolores Hidalgo. He saw & heard Chela & was interested in a water project for Capaderillo because of the extreme contamination in this area, not just affecting teeth, but also bones & brain & all major organs. He implored the community to show their interest & attend meetings.

Each person introduced themselves.
It was very funny as almost 90% of the people were either Ramirez, Ramirez Ramirez or Lopez Ramirez!

Item 2 What problems with water do you have here?
• They only have family wells, no other water (no truck deliveries, or bottled water)
• Everyone drinks well water, & the wells are contaminated at a level of approx 4mg/l (1.5mg p/l is maximum safe level).
• The clinic has told them the water is not safe to drink, they must boil it or add chlorine!
• The men were asked to comment, & they said they don’t know, they never go to the clinic.
• The wells are anywhere from 12 to 30 mtrs deep
• They have never analysed the water, they don’t know how or where
• Neighbouring Guerrero & Vivienda de Abajo are the same
• One woman (incidentally from Guerrero) comments, they need to analyse the water, they know there is a lot of fluoride in the region, the damage is obvious in the teeth, but she believes bones are also brittle, there have been cases of kids falling off burros & breaking bones easily
Chela explained some of the ill health affects of fluoride contamination, kidneys filter water, but fluoride builds up in the kidneys & escapes into the blood, which affects the brain & all the major organs. Every internal organ is affected, the kids are smaller & when they have problems concentrating or learning it can be attributed to fluoride poisoning.

We can’t solve the problem it has to be a collaboration. Have any authorities come to help or advise of this problem? “no!”
No-one from Sapasma, Ecology, the presidencia? “no”

Chela “I have lots of work at Cedesa & so does Rotary, & Holly, but we are motivated to assist you if you want assistance with this issue, you will need to raise the consciousness of the community regarding this issue. We are here to help resolve this, but one important point is organisation – Saul Juarez is very motivated to help organise – do you think this is a problem?”

Someone responded “ it’s a big problem, for us & for our kids when they drink the water!”

Chela then talked more about fluoride, where it comes from & what alternatives there are for removing it.




Record of Event pg 3 of 4

With demonstration & discussion about what happens to salt in the water, she explained that boiling actually worsens the problem. The good water evaporates into steam & you are left with even more concentrated fluoride in the boiled water. So boiling is not a good option.

Chlorine is a chemical & not good for humans, so not a good option either.

She explained the fluoride is naturally occurring & is in the water for many 1000’s of years, she talked about the rain cycle, & where the water comes from, & the rocks & gravel in this area contain fluoride.

The first deep well was drilled in 1958 & since then water usage from the aquifer has been extreme, for agribusiness, hence the aquifer is reducing at a much faster rate than it is being recharged by the rains. (only 1 mtr per year permeation).

Toilets also contaminate the water, & she talked about bacteria a little.

She called for suggestions of how they could solve their own water issue.
Alma suggested catching water in a hole in the ground, dug as a “dam”, or in big buckets.

There are 2 ways to have safe drinking water here.
1. Catching rain water from the roof & storing in Cisterns
2. Distilling water with a solar distiller. (ie catching the steam)


Saul described the cisterns Los Torres have built, including the process, ie Rotary supplying the materials, & the people building them with training from Cedesa.
Round cisterns are better than subterranean square ones, easier to build & easier to retrieve water from & keep clean.

The water caught during the rainy season will last the whole year for drinking & cooking for a family up to 14 people.

“it’s important to get organised – how can you generate resources?”

“from Rotary & Cedesa, but also from the local govt. & sapasma & Ecology dept”

It costs approx $8000 per cistern, how can you make this happen?

Do you have the $$$? “no!”
How can you help? “we have hands – we can work”.
Chela explained that with solidarity & collaboration with Rotary, we have been raising funds & resources but there are limits & time constraints.

They decided they would like to make an application to govt. & Laura has volunteered to help with this, since she is already meeting with Govt. on a monthly basis on the topic of water, she will ask for a meeting time for the community to meet & put their case.

Chela asked who is interested in this project – a resounding yes!
It’s voluntary & requires motivation & participation, & involvement. You are busy with the problem, you need to get busy with the solution!


Record of Event pg 4 of 4

The beginnings of organisation was described, creating an application explaining the issue, Saul has an idea of what’s needed, as they did on recently for the church. Another woman is working with a group currently to apply for dry toilets.

A mini commission was established
Saul, Juana, Elvia, Hermelinda, Marino & Reynalda.
They will split into 2 groups of 3 & door know the entire community spreading the word & taking names of interested families.

They will ask number of people in family, the list must be of people not just interested but “committed” & they will also look at the placement of the cistern during the visit.

Action Saul volunteered to have the list by Friday, he will be attending the water info. Day at Los Torres Primary school that we have planned, & he will present the list then.

Action Laura will take the list to the Sapasma meeting on the 11th March, & ask for a meeting time for the community.

Action Laura to add the number of cisterns required for Kinder, School & Telesecondaria to the individual families list.


Next meeting scheduled for 7th April same house, at 11am


(Guerrero woman is Salud Ramirez, & she is going to make preliminary enquiries in her community,)



(On 5th March, Saul came to the Water Info Day, & participated as planned, he also bought with him the list of 54 families interested in participating in a water project in their community)