The “Water for Chile Challenge” project is launched to bring drinking water to rural communes in the southern area

“We have been without water for many years, before we took it out of the wells, but with the drought all the neighbors began to have problems,” says María Aravena, a native of the Marileo community, located in the Lautaro commune, La Araucanía region, Chile.

The shortage of drinking water is replicated in 71% of the homes of rural areas of the region, according to the latest Casen survey. That is why CMPC and the organization Desafío Levantemos Chile joined forces to lead the “Water for Chile Challenge”, initiative, which seeks to deliver this basic service to 4 communes in the La Araucanía region and one in Biobío, with more than 20 projects. It is estimated that the number of beneficiary families will reach 200, which is equivalent to about a thousand people.

On October 29, both entities inaugurated the first project of the initiative: “Abasto Santa Aurelia” in the community of Marileo, where 40 families will have access to this service for the first time in their lives.

To carry out this project, two water supplies collected from natural springs were accumulated and stored in six containers that are then distributed through pipes. In addition, an excavation of more than 5 kilometers was carried out that are part of the route and where the supply currently passes towards each of the homes in the sector that access to the water through a tap.

On the occasion, María Aravena, who benefited from the project, assured that “you cannot imagine the happiness of being able to get drinking water from the tap, we are very anxious”.