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Community partnered projects: a case study of a collaborative effort to improve sanitation in a marginalized community in northwest Mexico

Environment, Development and Sustainability volume 11, pages 197–213 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

There is a growing recognition in developing countries that community participation in water and sanitation projects is a necessary strategy in sustainable development. The main advantage of following such an approach is that, if participation can encourage a sense of ownership of the projects, the benefits of the project are more likely to extend over the long term. The case study at hand focuses on the challenges faced in implementing a wastewater treatment system to solve an environmental and public health problem in a rural community, Rosario de Tesopaco, in northwest Mexico. Until recently, the community has been unable to implement an effective plan to treat the wastewater generated in the community. The problems faced by the community can be attributed to the political arrangement of water and sanitation decentralization in Mexico that occurred in the mid 1980’s, whereby communities were required to meet wastewater treatment standards, but were not given the technical and political guidance needed to achieve this goal. However, in this instance, cooperation between the authorities in Rosario de Tesopaco, the federal agency for social development, and an academic institution has led to the successful design and approval of a wastewater treatment project. This achievement can be attributed to the use of an effective collaborative strategy, tailoring the project to the needs and capacity of the local community, positioning the community as the leaders and owners of the project. A model for following this strategy for developing rural sanitation projects in Mexico is proposed.

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Abbreviations

BOD:

Biochemical oxygen demand

cm:

Centimeters

CNA:

National Water Commission (Mexico)

CONAPO:

National Population Council (Mexico)

DGAPA:

Direction of Drinking Water and Sewage under the extinct Department of Hydraulic Resources (Mexico)

EPA USA:

Environmental Protection Agency (USA)

GIS:

Geographic information system

INEGI:

Federal Agency for Statistic and Geographic Information (Mexico)

ITSON:

Technological Institute of Sonora (Mexico)

km:

Kilometers

l:

Liters

m:

Meters

m2 :

Square meters

m3 :

Cubic meters

mg/ l:

Milligrams per liter

MPN:

Most probable number

MTU:

Michigan Technological University (USA)

SEDESOL:

Federal Agency for Social Development (Mexico)

TSS:

Total suspended solids

UNISON:

University of Sonora (Mexico)

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the U. S. Agency for International Development through a TIES fellowship awarded to the first author, whose studies at Michigan Technological University were made possible through the International Programs Center at the University of Sonora. Demographic data about poverty was provided by the Secretaria de Desarrollo (SEDESOL) and comments were made by Carolina Romero, director of the SEDESOL’s “Microregions” development office in the state of Sonora. Special recognition must be given to the students of the Field Engineering class of 2004 who helped design the alternatives for this community. The most important recognition must be given to the authorities of Rosario de Tesopaco, particularly the Presidenté, Edmundo Cuamea, for his political will to undertake on this project and to the Director of Public Works, Engineer Rafael Buelna. Also many thanks to people from the community who helped by providing lodging and food, and to those who participated in the interviews along the various stages of the project. Comments of the reviewers helped improve the quality of this paper, but errors and omissions are the sole responsibility of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA

    Agustin Robles-Morua

  2. Department of Geological & Mining Engineering & Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA

    Alex S. Mayer

  3. Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA

    Mary H. Durfee

Authors
  1. Agustin Robles-Morua
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  2. Alex S. Mayer
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  3. Mary H. Durfee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Agustin Robles-Morua.

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Robles-Morua, A., Mayer, A.S. & Durfee, M.H. Community partnered projects: a case study of a collaborative effort to improve sanitation in a marginalized community in northwest Mexico. Environ Dev Sustain 11, 197–213 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-007-9104-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-007-9104-5

Keywords

  • Rural development
  • Poverty
  • Environmental health
  • Public participation
  • Local governance
  • Northwest Mexico
  • Sanitation
  • Wastewater treatment

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