Millions of Guatemalans, especially Indigenous families and women, are struggling every day to access safe drinking water and proper sanitation. A new report from Human Rights Watch shines a spotlight on the country’s urgent water crisis, calling on lawmakers to finally pass a national water law to protect people’s health and rights, according to a press release.
Despite having more fresh water per person than most countries, Guatemala’s government has failed to get clean water into homes or make sure wastewater is treated. The numbers are stark: 40% of all Guatemalans don’t have running water indoors, and the situation is even worse for Indigenous families. Fifty percent of Indigenous households have no piped water, and many rely on unsafe wells, rivers, or rainwater. Water shortages and pollution are widespread, leaving families with no choice but to drink and cook with dirty water, which often leads to illness.
Women and children are hit the hardest. Most days, it’s women and children who trek long distances to fetch water, missing out on work or school. “Sometimes I despair to see them walking, carrying water,” said one mother from Santa María Chiquimula, who makes hours-long trips for water every day with her kids.
The health consequences are serious. Stomach problems, diarrhea, and chronic malnutrition are common, and almost half of Guatemala’s children under five are malnourished—the one of the worst rates worldwide. Only 19% of households have running water all day, every day, and just 42% can flush their toilets into a sewage system. Nearly a third of people rely on latrines or even open defecation, and many towns still have no working wastewater treatment at all.
Human Rights Watch is urging the government, led by President Bernardo Arévalo, to act now. They say Guatemala needs a strong water law that protects clean water for everyone, involves Indigenous communities, and cracks down on pollution.
“The government… has a historic opportunity to deliver lasting change for Guatemalans,” said Juanita Goebertus from Human Rights Watch. “It should seize it.”
