"Water for Galapagos": a water quality monitoring program for the Galapagos Islands
!["Agua para Galápagos": un programa de monitoreo de la calidad del agua en las islas Galápagos](https://revistas.usfq.edu.ec/public/journals/12/article_2026_cover_es_ES.jpg)
Published 2021-04-06
Keywords
- fresh water,
- Galapagos,
- water quality,
- monitoring,
- sustainable development goals
- community ...More
How to Cite
Abstract
The Galapagos Islands are distinguished by having limited sources of water; for this reason, the conservation and protection of fresh water is one of the most difficult challenges to face. The availability, quality and treatment of water on each island is different and is related to the demand of the population. In this article, we present the current water situation and the projects we develop related to water resources on three islands: Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal and Isabela. On Santa Cruz, in conjunction with the Galapagos National Park, a water quality baseline was generated using a nine-year data set collected by the Park. In addition, a study was carried out on the perception of the population on the quality of water, their satisfaction regarding the resource, and the local willingness to pay for improvements to the water service. On San Cristóbal, the long-term Monitoring Program on water quality is being developed, while on Isabela a pilot project for monitoring water quality was conducted. Finally, on the three islands, workshops were held with local people, representatives of public and private institutions, NGOs, and students where we identified and prioritized the communities"™ concerns and uncertainties about the management of the water resources in the archipelago. The article presents a summary of the main results of the activities conducted, the status of water quality on the three islands, and opinions of the parties involved on the applicable improvements on the islands to obtain a quality resource. This community outreach program contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3: Good Health and Well-being; 6: Clean Water and Sanitation; 13: Climate Action; and 14: Life Below Water. Finally, this program contributes in a tangible way to preserve and conserve the water resource in the archipelago.
Downloads
References
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos. (10 de noviembre de 2016). Galápagos tiene 25.244 habitantes según censo 2015. Recuperado de: https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/galapagos-tiene-25-244-habitantes-segun-censo-2015/
- Parque Nacional Galápagos. (2018). Informe anual 2018: visitantes a las áreas protegidas de Galápagos, Ecuador. Galapagos National Park.
- Vásquez, W. F., Raheem, N., & Ochoa-Herrera, V. (datos sin publicar).
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos. (2015). Principales resultados Censo de Población y Vivienda Galápagos 2015. INEC.
- Mateus, C., Guerrero, C., Quezada, G., Lara, D., & Ochoa-Herrera, V. (2019). An Integrated Approach for Evaluating Water Quality between 2007-2015 in Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Archipelago. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/w11050937
- Ragazzi, M., Catellani, R., Rada, E., Torretta, V., & Salazar-Valenzuela, X. (2016). Management of urban wastewater on one of the Galapagos islands. Sustainability, 8, 1-19.
- Ulloa, D., Quevedo, T., & Sanafria, S. (2019). Tarifa de agua y gestión de la Empresa Pública Municipal de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado de Santa Cruz - EPMAPASC.
- Reyes, M., Trifunovic, N., Sharma, S., d'Ozouville, N., & Kennedy, M. (2017). Quantification of urban water demand in the island of Santa Cruz (Galápagos Archipielago). Desalination and Water Treatment, 64, 1-11.
- Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal de San Cristóbal. (n/d). Atractivos Turísticos. Recuperado de http://sancristobalgalapagos.gob.ec/web/index.php
- El Telégrafo. (01 de diciembre de 2014). El Junco, la única laguna de agua dulce de Galápagos. El Telégrafo. Recuperado de: https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/recovecos/1/el-junco-la-unica-laguna-de-agua-dulce-de-galapagos
- Grube, A. M., Stewart, J. R., & Ochoa-Herrera, V. (2020). The challenge of achieving safely managed drinking water supply on San Cristobal island, Galápagos. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health (INT J HYG ENVIR HEAL). doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113547
- Meza Vera, A. (23 de octubre de 2011). San Cristóbal inauguró planta de tratamiento de aguas residuales. Recuperado de: http://insulargalapagos.blogia.com/2011/102304-san-cristobal-inauguro-planta-de-tratamiento-de-aguas-residuales.php
- Houck, K. M., Terán, E., Ochoa, J., Zapata, G. N., Gomez, A. M., Parra, R., & Thompson, A. L. (2019). Drinking water improvements and rates of urinary and gastrointestinal infections in Galápagos, Ecuador: Assessing houlehold and community factors. American Journal of Human Biology. doi:10.1002/ajhb.23358
- Nivelo , S. I. (2015). Monitoreo de la calidad del agua en San Cristóbal, Galápagos. Quito, Ecuador: Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Recuperado de: http://repositorio.usfq.edu.ec/bitstream/23000/4696/1/112458.pdf
- Moscoso Urgilez, J. (2017). Proyecto de seguimiento en monitoreo de la calidad del agua en San Cristóbal, Galápagos. Quito, Ecuador: Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Recuperado de: http://repositorio.usfq.edu.ec/handle/23000/6629
- Galapagos Concervancy. (n/d). Isabela. Recuperado de: https://www.galapagos.org/about_galapagos/about-galapagos/the-islands/isabela/
- Izurieta, J. (2017). Behavior and trends in tourism in Galapagos between 2007 and 2015. Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador.
- Mateus, C., Valencia, M., DiFrancesco, K., Ochoa-Herrera, V., Gartner, T. & Quiroga, D. (2020). Governance mechanisms and barriers for achieving water quality improvements in Galapagos. Sustainability 12 (21), 851.
- WWF. (01 de abril de 2016). El tratamiento biológico de aguas residuales, fundamento de una comunidad saludable. Recuperado de: https://www.wwf.org.ec/?264791/El-tratamiento-biolgico-de-aguas-residuales-fundamento-de-una-comunidad-saludable
- Badhwa, N., Fejfar, D., Pozo, R., Nicholas, K., Grube, A., Stewart, J, Thompson, A. & Ochoa-Herrera, V. (2021). Water quality and access in Isabela: Results from a household water survey. En Thompson, A., Ochoa-Herrera, V. & Terán, E. (eds), Water, Food and Human Health in the Galapagos, Ecuador: A little word within itself. Social and Ecological Interactions in the Galapagos Islands. Springer (accepted).
- United Nations. (30 de agosto de 2019). Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible. Recuperado de: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/objetivos-de-desarrollo-sostenible/
- Salazar Espinoza, M. (2017). Monitoreo de la Calidad del Agua en el año 2016: San Cristóbal, Galápagos. Quito, Ecuador: Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Recuperado de: http://repositorio.usfq.edu.ec/handle/23000/6548
- American Public Health Association. (2017). Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. Washington.
- Borja-Serrano, P., Ochoa-Herrera, V., Maurice, L., Morales, G., Quilumbaqui, C., Tejera, E., & Machado, A. (2020). Determination of the Microbial and Chemical Loads in Rivers from the Quito Capital Province of Ecuador (Pichincha)"”A Preliminary Analysis of Microbial and Chemical Quality of the Main Rivers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. doi:10.3390/ijerph17145048
- Ministerio del Ambiente. (2017). Texto unificado de legislacion secundaria de medio ambiente. Recupeado de: http://www.competencias.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/01NOR2003-TULSMA.pdf
- Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalización. (2011). Drinking Water Requirements. Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalización.
- Mateus, C. & Quiroga, D. (2021). Galapagos´ water management evaluation under a changing climate and current COVID-19 pandemic. En Thompson, A., Ochoa-Herrera, V. & Terán, E. (eds), Water, Food and Human Health in the Galapagos, Ecuador: A little word within itself. Social and Ecological Interactions in the Galapagos Islands. Springer (accepted).
- Izurieta, A., Delgado, B., Moity, N., Calvopiña, M., Cedeño, I., Banda-Cruz, G., "¦ Sutherland, W. J. (2018). A collaboratively derived environmental research agenda for Galapagos. Pacific Conservation Biology. doi:https://doi.org/10.1071/PC17053
- Reyes, M., PetriÄić, A., Trifunović, N., & Sharma, S. (2019). Water Management Strategies Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis in Santa Cruz Island (Galapagos Archipelago). Scientific Review, 56, 112-123. doi:https://doi.org/10.32861/sr.56.112.123
- Reyes, M., Trifunovic, N., Sharma, S., Kapelan, Z., & Kennedy, M. (2017). Mitigation Options for Future Water Scarcity: A Case Study in Santa Cruz Island (Galapagos Archipelago). Water, 597. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/w9080597
- Becerra, N. (2017). Development of a water filtration system using design thinking for Social Innovation in San Cristobal, Galapagos-Ecuador. Quito, Ecuador: Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Recuperado de: http://repositorio.usfq.edu.ec/handle/23000/6748
- Gonzales, J. A., Montes, C., Rodríguez, D. J., & Tapia, W. (2008). Rethinking the Galapagos Islands as a complex social-ecological system: Implications for conservation and management. Ecology and Society, 13.
- Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado de San Cristóbal. (2017). Ordenanza Presupuestaria del Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado (GAD) Municipal del Cantón San Cristóbal para el ejercicio económico del año 2018. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Galápagos, Ecuador: Gobierno Autónomo Decentralizado Municipal de San Cristóbal.
- Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal de Isabela. (2012). Plan de Desarrollo y Ordenamiento Territorial 2012-2016. Isabela, Galápagos, Ecuador. Recuperado de: https://www.gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/08/PDOT-ISABELA-2012_2.pdf