HER-Water: Gender-Responsive Indigenous Community Monitoring for Safe Drinking Water in Lake Titicaca

The Indigenous community of Chojasivi is located on the shores of Lake Titicaca, where pollution originating from the Katari River Basin converges before reaching the lake. Untreated wastewater, agricultural runoff, and legacy mining contamination have contributed to the degradation of water resources, creating concerns for public health, local livelihoods, and environmental quality. Despite these challenges, drinking water sources used by community members receive limited and irregular monitoring.

This project focuses on the relationship between drinking water quality and community health. Particular attention is given to the role of women, who are often responsible for water collection, household water management, and family well-being, yet frequently have limited opportunities to participate in environmental monitoring and water-related decision-making processes.

Through a community-based monitoring approach, Indigenous women and other community members will receive training in simple and scientifically robust methods for assessing drinking water quality. The initiative combines local knowledge with citizen science to strengthen water literacy, improve understanding of potential health risks, and generate locally relevant evidence on drinking water safety.

The project brings together the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Universidad Católica Boliviana “San Pablo”, and the Indigenous authorities of Chojasivi in a collaborative effort to strengthen environmental justice and the human right to safe water. Through knowledge co-production and community participation, the initiative seeks to support more informed local action while creating opportunities for dialogue on drinking water governance in the Lake Titicaca region.