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Ecotechnologies for the Mexican Mayan Coastal Communities

Sanitation solution that prevents ocean pollution

By IW:LEARN

June 7^th, 2023

The Mexican indigenous Mayan Community located in the Tres Reyes Village is just a few kilometers from the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, the Caribbean coast, and in proximity to the tourist zone of Tulum.

The latter is a major travel destination in Mexico, and yet the developmental conditions of the community differ significantly from the surrounding areas.

For instance, the village school and kindergarten did not have a sanitation system in place, and even when they are so close to the areas expanding commercially and economically, they are still geographically apart and isolated.

Their lack of sanitation solutions is worrisome, not only in light of the needs of the community, the right to sanitation, and its interlink with the right to education for the children attending the facilities, but also because of their proximity to the sea.

Mayan Community Kindergarten. Photo: Amigos de Sian Ka’an.

The wastewater from the communities close to the sea and the cities miles away also ends up in the ocean. This connection, mostly intangible, happens gradually when untreated wastewater ends up in the rivers and groundwater which travels to the coastal areas that eventually arrives at the ocean. It is known that untreated wastewater along with sediment and nutrients, are responsible for approximately 80% of marine pollution.

Moreover, the zone is characterized by its karstic system, which has natural underground drainage systems that could potentially filtrate wastewater more easily. The underground rivers from this system also contain drinkable water for the communities making this situation a true health hazard. However, due to financial reasons, solutions seemed expensive and almost unattainable for the community.

What are solutions for communities like this?

Designing and implementing solutions has been a part of component III of the GEF CReW+ project, which is working towards the “Provision of innovative small-scale, local, rural, peri-urban, and community-based solutions for Integrated Water and Wastewater Management (IWWM)”.

The project has the greater mission of “implementing water and wastewater solutions for a clean and healthy Caribbean Sea”, and under this umbrella is working with communities like Tres Reyes.

The solution for this particular community was called “ecotechnology”, a device intended to aid in the water and sanitation needs under a low-cost and small-scale intervention.

Ecotechnologies are sustainable ecologically-inspired solutions, that can be used for the reuse of rainwater and the treatment of wastewater, they do not create a technological dependence and are easy to adopt by the beneficiaries .

The GEF CReW+ project in partnership with the local organization Amigos de Sian Ka’an has been promoting the construction of more ecotechnologies in the area, hoping to ease the sanitation challenges and the effects of untreated wastewater in the Caribbean Sea.

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About the GEF CReW+ Project

The GEF CReW+ Project values water as a precious resource and applies the concept of Integrated Water and Wastewater Resources Management (IWWM) based on the four Rs of the circular economy approach: reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover. The project treats wastewater not as waste, but as a valuable resource with reuse potential in agriculture, industry and other commercial sectors. Treating wastewater safely supports regional efforts for sustainable development by reducing pollution, safeguarding marine biodiversity and protecting human health. GEF CReW+ thus contributes directly to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 3, 6, 11, 13, 14 and 15.