Honduran community maintains water supply amid national drought

Residents of El Pacayal in the Chinacla municipality of La Paz, Honduras, maintain a self-managed water system that remained functional during a severe national drought.

While the El Niño phenomenon caused the government to place 103 municipalities on red alert and affected 5.6 million people across the country, El Pacayal experienced only two days of water shortages. The community attributes its resilience to a surrounding forest of pine and liquidambar trees that protects the mountain spring.

Hilario Ventura Nicolás, the president of the local water board, manages a system that has provided water to the community for 20 years. The project began when the Chinacla mayor's office provided funding while the residents provided the labor. Today, the community maintains the infrastructure by identifying defects and organizing collective repairs. The water board also enforces regulations to prevent waste and manages 65 connections from a storage tank located 1,870 meters above sea level.

The community received training on water conservation from the Chinacla mayor's office and Global Brigades, an international organization. Residents now promote conservation through families and schools, teaching children to value water. Although the drought affected local crops like maize and beans, the community continues to manage its autonomous system through local support committees that monitor the infrastructure regardless of which government is in power.