COMAGUA, a platform to acknowledge the situation of water
A digital and innovative tool for the management and visibility of data on access to water in the Gran Chaco region.
In Argentina, around 9 million people do not have access to safe drinking water. In scattered rural areas, this situation affects around 2.6 million people. In the Gran Chaco Americano (region that
comprises territories from Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil), many of the problems that the families from that region have originate from the lack of access to safe drinking water which, in
most cases, is due to the extreme weather conditions where up to nine months can go by without raining. There is low availability of groundwater at shallow depths, and the water contains high
values of arsenic or salt residue.
With the aim of knowing in depth the problems that thousands of rural communities face and in order to impact on public policies, within the initiative Chaco Innova from Nanum Mujeres
Conectadas, we developed COMAGUA, a digital platform that shows real time data about water access and sanitation in the Gran Chaco region.
The situation of lack of access to safe drinking water is urgent and requires precise and reliable data to come up with joint solutions. In this sense, to have detailed and integrated information
about the water problem in rural communities is key to strengthen the actions and generate policies of access to quality water.
WHAT IS COMAGUA AND WHAT DOES IT ALLOW?
COMAGUA is a website that allows to upload, process and see a large amount of data about the situation of water. In this way, it constitutes an accessible tool for organizations to survey and
learn about the problems, and manage the projects they carry out on the basis of knowing the local reality.
“It might strongly contribute to work on solutions to the problem of access to water. We have noted that, in general, in this broad issue, the information is neither clear nor complete. We need a tool that shows strong and quality data, and that it doesn’t require any effort to see the data generated by other organizations”, explains Adán Levy, Executive manager of EWB-Ar.
Besides, this development focuses on the importance of alliances and collaborative and participative networking to co-create solutions. “The joint work that we are carrying out with other
organizations as well as the networking are very important, because it implies to assess the territory, get to know it, and thus reaching out to the many communities out there”, explains María
Hernández, civil engineer and coordinator of the water program in rural communities of EWB-Ar.
Another aim it pursues is to promote access to information to people in general. And for those who make decisions in the public sector, it serves as a resource for the analysis and design of public policies that are fit for the needs of each territory.
A TOOL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGION
“COMAGUA is being carried out within the program Chaco Innova, the first open call for innovation for the Gran Chaco Americano, which has the aim of promoting the access and the adoption of
innovative solutions that reduce the situation of vulnerability of communities towards climate change and post-Covid-19 effects, and also raise the opportunities for economic development in
the region”, states Gastón Kremer, program manager at World Transforming Technologies (WTT) and coordinator of Chaco Innova.
“One of the main limitations for the development of economic activities is water shortage. The drought situation in this region is chronic and it results in great economic losses due to a
significant number and variety of interrelations, and decisions are significantly affected by this natural phenomenon that tends to slow down human and sustainable development of the region”,
says Marcela Zamora, manager of NANUM in Bolivia and in charge of the program Chaco of NATIVA.
On his part, Pablo Frere, executive secretary of Redes Chaco, highlights the importance and impact of this initiative. “All the progress being made by Engineering Without Borders Argentina
and the institutions related to Chaco Innova are vital and a big contribution to what we want: an improvement in the life of the Gran Chaco Americano”.
The Gran Chaco region puts to the test the normal development of its populations, since it experiences a constant hydric stress receiving rain only four months a year. Its populations are an
example of resilience: they have been able to prosper in adverse conditions, and now they are also seeking to innovate in their practices so that they adapt to a sustainable production.
Therefore, to have permanent and updated information turns into a need for a better decision making.
