Pump and Pipes - A Project to Provide Water for Residents - Municipality of Talnique
The municipality of Talnique, La Libertad, is located high in the mountains about 35 KM from the city of San Salvador, El Salvador. The main sources of livelihood are coffee growing, employment in the city and some tourism. Over the years, the community has grown, in part because of earthquakes that have driven migration from smaller centres.
 
Rotary’s relationship with this community has been ongoing and has benefitted from partnering with a stable municipal government that has overseen multiple successful projects and sustainable undertakings that have community engagement. These include Interactors from Canada and USA helping to build 135 houses; purchase of ecological stoves subsidized by Rotarians and medical clinics.  Rotarians undertook an earlier water project that constructed a storage tank high above the village so that water could be supplied by a gravity fed system.
 Rotarians are always welcome in Talnique
The local countryside where coffee growing is the main crop 
Some of the ecological stoves now being used to save wood
Before this water project took shape, the residents received water once a week. Water had to be stored in barrels, tubs, etc. by the householders between their weekly allotments being received. This sort of storage often led to contamination as well as the supply being insufficient to meet weekly needs.  The installation of a pump at the spring fed well and pipes to carry the water to a storage tank means that approximately 300 families will be able to have water distributed to their homes on a regular basis.
 
Water flows from the well to a holding tank to be pumped to the households. Seasonal monitoring, chlorination and maintenance are managed on an regular ongoing basis.
State of the art electrical panel to control pump and water levels
Laundry facility near the storage tank
Householders register and pay a fee that is used to maintain the system
A Community Celebrates
Members of the Rotary Club of San Salvador Noroeste provided professional services and oversight of the purchase of the pump, the installation of the electricity to power it, the quality of the work being done.  Now that the work is completed, the municipality of Talnique has assumed ownership and the responsibility for its maintenance. Members of the Rotary Club of Cornwall Sunrise and other D7040 clubs have made several site visits to Talnique.
Commissioning the water system
Rotarians celebrating handing the new water system over to the community
Rotarians preparing to partner with the community to improve housing
Thank you to all the Rotarians and Rotary Clubs that made this project possible!