The Oaxaca Water Quality Forum (called Foro Oaxaqueño del Agua in spanish) is a meeting that brings together concerned members of the public, nonprofits, and government officials to discuss water quality issues and possible solutions in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Water Quality Topics Discussed
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Water for Humans representative speaking about the Future plans at the Etla Waste Water Treatment plant
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Water Samples from Oaxacan drinking water sites testing positive for pathogens including ecoli.
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Concerned attendant at forum speaking up about contamination
===The Need for Healthy Forests===
Forests affect watershed quality. Cutting down forests removes a protective layer over the soil and increases rains erosive impacts.
For more info see [File:Las Presas:Los Bosques: Fuente Fundamental De Vida]in Spanish
Desertification
For more info see [File:La Amenaza De La Desertification]
Food and Water for Everyone
For more info see [File:Alimentos y Agua Para Todos]
Impacts of Large Dams and Hydropower
There are 667 dams in Mexico, which have altered or fragmented about 60% of the rivers in Mexico. 40- 60 million people have been displaced for these dams directly, and possible 60-100 million have been displaced indirectly. About 30 to 40% of the farms in Mexico are irrigated with the water from these dams and 19% of the electricity is generated. Problems from Dams discussed:
- Those people displaced by a dam are often relocated to areas much higher up in areas of dense forest and sloped hillsides, where they need to cut the forest in order to make for themselves a new home and farm. Forest removal reduces the precipitation and therefore reduces the current of the river, making the seasonal influx become permanent.
- The diversion of water from its normal course and naturally irrigated areas to artificially irrigated areas creates problems of saturation and salinity in the soil.
For more info see [File:Las Presas: La Enfermedad del Gigantismo] in Spanish
Climate Change Impacts on Water Availability
For more info see [File:Mucha Agua o Muy Poca]in Spanish
Making the city of Oaxaca Sustainable
For more info see [File:Hacer de Oaxaca una Ciudad Sustentable]in Spanish