In urban areas in Venezuela, water is provided 2-3 times a week at specific times. In non-capital states, the situation is worse – citizens receive water only once every fifteen or ten days. The tap water is also often of poor quality; brown or black and smelly, which makes it impossible to use.
In a national television interview on November 8, Yazenia Frontado, Chair of GWP Venezuela and Vice Chair of GWP South America, spoke about the lack of drinking water in the country and the work of GWP Venezuela to revert this situation.
Frontado explained what the GWP Venezuela project Kit of water is about. The kit is used to measure water quality criteria such as pH, colour, turbidity, hardness and taste of water, and to compare the measurements against current water quality standards in the country. The Kit also provides guidance on how to make a proper complaint to relevant government authorities.
So far 500 kits have been delivered and about 800 people have been trained in using them, among them young students from municipal schools (these are public schools located in areas affected by lack of water quality), housewives and doormen. Also, technical water boards have been approached to share the kit, beginning with the municipality of Baruta. The water boards include citizens from different sectors, which gather to solve water-related issues.
Onam Quintero, from GWP Venezuela and representative of the recently created South American Water Youth Network, was also present at the interview; he introduced the network and its main objectives.