Water Quality Concerns Among Rural Indigenous Communities in Ecuador

Abstract

According to the Pan American Health Association, Ecuador has one of the highest rates of disease associated with poor drinking water in Latin America. This is especially acute among indigenous rural communities where funding and infrastructure is lacking. To examine water quality concerns among indigenous rural Ecuadorians, we conducted in-person interviews of Kichwa and Huaorani residents living near Tena and Otavalo, Ecuador. This study was conducted as part of the 2018 Geography and Culture of Ecuador Winterim Immersion Program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The broader goal of the immersion program was to experience and learn firsthand how global forces impact the environment in remote areas of the Andes Mountains and Amazon jungle basin. As part of this immersion experience, the perspectives on water were examined among rural indigenous people in Ecuador.