Mexican students tackle Oaxaca's drought with low-cost water filter

Record ID: 1857869

  • Title: Mexican students tackle Oaxaca's drought with low-cost water filter
  • Date: 21st November 2024
  • Summary: TEOTITLAN DEL VALLE, OAXACA, MEXICO (NOVEMBER 14, 2024) (REUTERS) (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF RESERVOIR THAT SUPPLIES WATER TO THE COMMUNITY VARIOUS OF SHOPS OF THE COMMUNITY SELLING HANDMADE RUGS AND WOOL BLANKETS VARIOUS OF RUG WEAVER ARTISAN, MARIO CHAVEZ, PREPARING WATER WITH NATURAL DYE FOR WOOL CHAVEZ DIPPING WOOL THREADS INTO THE DYE WOOL THREADS ABSORBING DYE CHAVEZ ENTERING HIS WEAVING WORKSHOP (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RUG WEAVER ARTISAN, MARIO CHAVEZ, SAYING: "(Water shortage) mainly affects the production costs because it causes us to buy this vital liquid from people who sell water, but they sell it at a higher price. That affects the costs because to dye wool threads, for example, for a small rug we can use at least 200, 300 liters of water." LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND ECOLOGICAL WATER FILTER SYSTEM DEVELOPERS, ROSA MENDOZA SOSA AND SHANNI VALERIA MORA, ARRIVING AT THEIR SCHOOL'S EXPERIMENTAL COURTYARD TO FILTER CONTAMINATED WATER VARIOUS OF MENDOZA AND MORA SETTING UP FILTER TO CLEAN WATER MENDOZA AND MORA POURING WATER WITH DYE INTO FILTER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND ECOLOGICAL WATER FILTER SYSTEM DEVELOPER, SHANNI VALERIA MORA, SAYING: "The high demand for the textile production without caring for the water is what causes water scarcity. So what we wanted was to implement a solution, this alternative, in a way that we could have something sustainable." MORA POURING WATER INTO THE FILTER WATER POURING OVER FILTER MORA AND MENDOZA WATCHING WATER BEING FILTERED WATER BEING FILTERED (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND ECOLOGICAL WATER FILTER SYSTEM DEVELOPER, SHANNI VALERIA MORA, SAYING: "All these are 100 percent natural materials, they can even be found in the environment. They are very accessible and economical materials, and most are used to retain suspended solids in the water, and pollutants: color, odor, ammoniacal nitrogen, coliforms, and also heavy metals." VARIOUS OF MENDOZA POURING FILTERED WATER INTO CONTAINER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND ECOLOGICAL WATER FILTER SYSTEM DEVELOPER, ROSA MENDOZA, SAYING: "We have managed to recover 90 percent of the water they discard. For four kilos of wool, they use 100 liters of water and completely discard it afterward. With this, we had success because they will no longer discard it and can use it for watering their gardens or their plants used to dye." (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL AREA WHERE NATURAL DYE PLANTS ARE GROWING VARIOUS OF STUDENTS WATERING PLANTS USED TO DYE WOOL WITH FILTERED WATER VARIOUS OF CHAVEZ AT WORKSHOP (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RUG WEAVER ARTISAN, MARIO CHAVEZ, SAYING: "So, a lot of water is needed for the dyeing process. With the shortage we experienced this year, our costs increased, raising the final product cost. With this (filter) we will be able to reduce costs a bit because we are reusing water and caring for the environment." (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF COMMUNITY WATER RESERVOIR
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2024 10:59
  • Keywords: Handicraft Oaxaca Textile industry Water filter Water shortage Women inventors Women scientists
  • Location: TEOTITLAN DEL VALLE, OAXACA, MEXICO
  • City: TEOTITLAN DEL VALLE, OAXACA, MEXICO
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: South America / Central America,North America,Society/Social Issues,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA001013315112024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Two high school students in the southern Mexican region of Oaxaca have developed a low-cost water filter to help tackle drought in the textile handicraft centre of Teotitlan del Valle.
    Teotitlan del Valle, established in 1465, is one of the earliest towns founded by the Zapotec people in Mexico and is famous for its textiles.
    For the community's artisanal rug-making industry, water is crucial for washing and dyeing wool, and shortages have led many artisans to compromise their production with some having to purchase water at higher prices after drought hit the region.
    In March 2024, two-thirds of Oaxaca faced “moderate” to “extreme” drought, according to Conagua's (National Water Board) Drought Monitor. At the time, the Piedra Azul dam, located in Teotitlan del Valle, reached less than 30 percent of its capacity.
    To help their community use water more sustainably, high school students Rosa Mendoza Sosa and Shanni Valeria Mora Fajardo developed a project to recycle water.
    They designed a filtration system using materials like plastic containers, rocks, and charcoal pieces to decontaminate and repurpose used water. Their method recovers up to 90 percent of the water, allowing the recycled water to be used not only for irrigation but also for wool dyeing purposes.
    The experimental project aims to raise awareness among artisans about the care and reuse of water.
    Their water conservation initiative won them the Diploma of Excellence at the 2024 Stockholm Junior Water Prize, also known as the "Nobel Prize for Water."
    (Production: Jose Cortes, Rodolfo Pena Roja, Nina Lopez, Hugo Monnet)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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