Abstract

In Mexico there are many small rural communities with serious water supply deficiencies. The introduction of alternative, low-cost technologies represents means of supplying water such as through fog and rain catchment. In the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico, research is under way on rain water collection for human consumption. This research can then be applied in communities in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Veracruz, Puebla and throughout Baja California. In Chiapas, there are 19,972 poor rural communities, 15,712 of which have fewer than 100 inhabitants. The lack of a constant water supply is most severe in the highlands of Chiapas where the population is made up mainly of indigenous groups. The communities are on mountainous terrain with a widely dispersed population. These characteristics combine to make the provision of public utilities, such as water, electricity and sewerage, difficult with conventional means.