Skip to main content
TitleMultiple uses of water: a view from the reality of rural communities and national politics in Colombia
Publication TypeMiscellaneous
Year of Publication2008
AuthorsDominguez, I, Corrales, S, Restrepo, I, Butterworth, JA
Secondary TitleInternational symposium on MUS
Pagination5 p.
Date Published11-2008
PublisherIRC
Place PublishedColombia
Abstract
The water needs of people living in rural areas are integrated, and take into account personal hygiene, drinking water, food preparation and small scale productive activities. These activities are all important to provide food security, income and reduce the vulnerability of poor people. The interventions made by 
water supply projects that follow national policies and regulations in Colombia are, like in many other countries, fragmented and usually neglect innovative approaches. Innovative approaches that consider all basic water related activities linked to livelihoods can make a significant difference to household economies in poor areas. This paper presents evidence on how families manage water in rural areas of the Valle del Cauca Department (Colombia), and how this reality has been ignored by national policies and regulation. Proposals to reduce the gap between rural practice and policies for this sector are also suggested. These recommendations should help policy makers to take the rural context into account, to improve the regulations, and to contribute to poverty alleviation, equity and sustainable development. 
 

Disclaimer

The copyright of the documents on this site remains with the original publishers. The documents may therefore not be redistributed commercially without the permission of the original publishers.

Back to
the top