COCIRA Meeting
(Consejo
Ciudadano Rural de Agua de San Miguel de Allende
Location: Alonso
Yanez
April 9, 2015
Attendance: Presa Allende, San Lorenzo,
Juan Gonzalez, Tierra Blanca, Vivienda de Abajo, Alonso Yanez, Lindero,
Correlejo, Boca de La Cañada, Cienega Juan Ruiz, Capadrillo. Approximately 36 community Members and a boat load of children.
Chela Martinez, Margarita Godinez and Saul Juarez from CEDESA. Lee Carter from
Rotary San Miguel Midday.
Missing: Ex-Hacienda de Pena Blanca, Montecillo de Nieto, Nombre de
Dios and La Banda
This was a good turnout and we were pleased to welcome a new
community, Boca de La Cañada, to COCIRA. Boca de La Cañada, stated they came because
they had been invited by Alonso Yanez and they had heard through them about the
water contamination problems. They have a preliminary list of 30 families that
are interested in a water harvesting project. They noted that their children
are getting dental fluorosis. They also said they are interested in getting dry
toilets in the future as well.
The many possibilities of things that can be done to improve
community health and economics by working through COCIRA and CEDESA was
discussed. Among the many things were included Bee Keeping (Apicultura), Water
Harvesting, Dry Toilets, Health and Alternative Medicine Clinics,
Transformation of Products. Chela Martinez spoke about the importance of
working together in communities and through COCIRA to achieve significant
change in their lives.
Saul and several community members reported about the World Water
Day activities from the event last month in San Cayentano in San Luis de la
Paz. Lidia from Vivienda talked about how interesting it was to meet persons
from other municipalities facing the same problems that we face here in San
Miguel. Alejandro Guerra and Lee Carter from Rotary had attended the event
also.
Chela announced that CEDESA would be celebrating its 50th
year in community development in June and invited everyone to come to CEDESA
headquarters in Dolores Hidalgo on June 20 and 21 for two days of workshops and
celebration. Chela also told the history of the Rotary water projects and how
that led to the formation of COCIRA. Were it not for COCIRA and the work of
Laura Stewart and Holly Yasui there would never have been such success in the rural
rainwater harvesting projects.
Lee reported that he had visited Presa Allende on April 7th
with Dr. Norman Feldstein, a retired dentist and dentistry professor who had
taught fluorosis at the University of Pittsburg. The examination of 23 children
clearly demonstrated the existence of fluoride from the well located in
Salitrillo. Although, fortunately there was no clinically severe fluorosis
present, the mild and moderate fluorosis seen confirmed the importance to
finding alternative drinking and cooking water for the community as soon as
possible. That project is now scheduled to begin in May.
Lee also reported that Rotary has begun looking for funding for the
next water harvesting project and that first results appeared encouraging. Lee
asked the COCIRA members if there would be any interest in returning to
communities with prior projects with water safety and cistern maintenance
classes along with a review of the current status of cisterns built since 2008.
Chela was in agreement and would like to set up a program to do this within the
next grant if possible. Perhaps we can do some one day community visits where
we can teach the materials that are being developed for the new grant.
Community members agreed that this could be a helpful program. Chela also
announced that Rotary would be expanding its work to include all communities
affected in the Independence Aquifer region.
Saul reported that this year there were 16 new cisterns in Juan
Gonzalez (plus 4 rotoplas's), 17 in La Banda/Montecillo, 16 (plus one
Rotoplas) are under construction in Lindero and 23 are to be started in Alonso
Yanez in two weeks. Presa Allende is standing by for a minimum of 20 cisterns.
(There were 36 families in waiting last September and some of the lost families
may come back into the project now that they know it is definitely going to
happen.) Saul and Lee are going to set a
community meeting there in the next two weeks to “reanimate” the community.
Representatives came from San Lorenzo to ask for cisterns for two
families there. They reported also that the Villa de Guadalupe well is finally
operating after more than 18 months of waiting for the pump to be installed by
SAPASMA. Lee stated that he would like to have that well tested as soon as
possible remembering that there were 8 families there that wanted cisterns if
the water quality of the new well was not satisfactory. Lee will follow up on
that.
A meeting of the council leaders of COCIRA was set for 9 am on Abril
21 at Corralejo. Chela and Lee set a date in June to go visit Nombre de Dios
and Ojo de Charco two communities that are in dire need of assistance but are in a
location that leaves them stranded neither belonging to San Miguel nor Dolores.
The next COCIRA meeting will be on June 4, 10 am at Presa Allende.
As always we adjourned (3:30 pm) to a fine pot luck lunch brought by
all of the participants. Lee took the back way home dropping off COCIRA members
in Juan Gonzalez and Correlajo, & then visited the project under way in
Vivienda. Pleased to report that all is moving forward on schedule and that the
completed cisterns appear very good.
Lee Carter, Rotary San Miguel Midday
