Water and Sanitation

Rural communities on the southern coast of El Salvador are both blessed and cursed by water. Surface and ground water is relatively easy to access, but it is severely contaminated from agricultural runoff, particularly by DDT from historic cotton plantations. These chemical pollutants also flow into the Bay of Jiquilisco, impacting fisheries and local ecosystems.

Rainfall is usually plentiful during the wet season, but severe deforestation all too often leads to mudslides and flash floods. Flooding, both from rainwater and the frequent discharges from hydroelectric dams along the Lempa River, has led to the displacement of entire communities and millions of dollars in damages. Contaminated well water from these human and natural disasters causes ongoing health problems.

Photo: Jillian Baker

Local communities have responded to these problems by organizing to prevent floods. One key recent accomplishment was the construction of 17 kilometers of retaining walls along the Lempa River. During Hurricane Ida last year, flooding in the Lower Lempa area was minimal compared to prior years, and no lives were lost. Read more about disaster prevention on our Climate Change page.

Lack of sanitation is another critical issue, and the number one source of deadly infectious diseases in the area, particularly amongst children. Indoor toilets are almost nonexistent in rural El Salvador, and the same is true for septic systems and sewage treatment. Most families use a pit latrine or simply go out to their cornfields to do their business. In an area that is regularly overrun with floods, this results in a dangerous situation in which untreated human waste washes into all local waterways. Composting toilets are an important strategy for improving environmental health.

EcoViva currently works with coastal communities to build clean water systems, improve sanitation, and address point and nonpoint sources of water contamination in the Lower Lempa and Bay of Jiquilisco, through composting toilets, tree planting on family farms, and mangrove forest restoration.

Read more about our water and sanitation work on the Community Infrastructure page.