A sustained period of heavy rainfall in early November triggered widespread flooding and landslides in Colombia. One of the most affected departments in the country was La Guajira, where the damaged and closed roads led to food and drinking water shortages. The local government declared a state of public calamity, requesting to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid to affected communities.

"We are filling our tanks to collect rainwater, but it is very dirty and not suitable for consumption." Herlime Puche, Resident of Barrancas

Supporting Recovery

Planet Water Foundation activated our relief efforts through the support of our Disaster Response Alliance partners. Upon coordinating with the local authorities and identifying the communities with the most urgent demand for drinking water supply, our team headed to the impacted area. After extensive testing of the municipal water supply and wells, two AquaTower water filtration systems were installed in schools in the communities of Uribia and Barrancas in La Guajira, where they will help in the long term recovery of the communities and provide a reliable source of safe drinking water. Each system can support up to 1,800 people with access to safe drinking water.

"Whenever it rains, streets turn into rivers and there is mud everywhere. The students are more prone to diseases whenever this happens because the flood contaminates our water sources. This filtration system will aid in solving our problems because it provides us with much-needed clean water, especially when there is weather disturbance." Adalcira Estrada, Resident of Uribia