Don Ángel went from being a zootechnician who worked with livestock to directing the water and sanitation office of the Gran Chimú province (in Cascas – Peru).
He admits it's a bit of an odd career move, but the district water office was interested in his experience in environmental management and working with rural communities. This experience was invaluable last year when the Cascas district was hit by the worst flooding in decades, devastating most of the district's community water systems.
"The force of nature was so strong that I saw huge rocks and big trees moved by the force of the water," said Angel. "I haven't seen a disaster like this since the earthquake in 1973."
In Cascas, water sources, springs and pipes were destroyed. With all the main roads washed out, there was no transportation in or out of Cascas. The helicopters had to bring food and fuel. More than 30 communities lost access to improved water services for months.
"Eighty percent of the water systems in Cascas were affected," Ángel said.
District water and sanitation offices, like those led by Ángel, support community-level water committees that manage water systems. That made Angel's team respond first, after the flood.
"As soon as the floods hit, we contacted all the communities to see what problems they had with their systems," Angel said.
With support from Water For People and funding from USAID and other NGOs, Angel's office was able to make a quick diagnosis and find resources to repair the damaged systems. By September, five months after the flooding ended, all systems had been repaired and families' access to water was restored.
Although the floods delayed some of Angel's goals, the Cascas district is on track to reach every family, clinic and school with water in the next two years. Not even devastating floods could stop Angel from making unwavering progress toward this achievement: clean water for every person in his district.
