In the district of Metapán, El Salvador, water is more than a service—it is a shared responsibility. Around the Metapán Lagoon, the Asociación Siete Estrellas, formed by seven organized communities, manages a drinking water system that supplies more than 3,000 households. For years, however, the system faced persistent challenges: unstable pressure, outdated electrical systems, and deteriorating pipelines that affected both efficiency and reliability.
That began to change through the support of the project “Fostering Water Security in the Trifinio Region”, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by UNEP, and executed by the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS), through the Americas Water Program, in coordination with the Trinational Commission of the Plan Trifinio (CTPT).
The intervention focused on practical and targeted improvements to strengthen the system’s functionality. These included the installation of regulation and chlorination valves, a macrometer to monitor water distribution, the modernization of the electrical control system, and the replacement of 720 meters of pipeline, significantly improving water flow and management.
These upgrades not only enhanced the technical performance of the system but also contributed to a more reliable and safer water supply for thousands of families.
Yet, the transformation in Metapán goes beyond infrastructure.
At the heart of this process is community leadership. Morena Orellana, a local leader, plays a key role in promoting awareness and responsibility around water use. She visits households, sharing knowledge on water conservation and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), ensuring that the improvements are sustained over time.
Her message reflects the essence of the project:
“Water is not only distributed—it is also cared for and understood.”
Through this approach, the project highlights a fundamental lesson: strengthening water systems also means strengthening governance, local leadership, and community capacities. In Metapán, technical solutions and community engagement come together to build long-term resilience, enabling communities not only to improve their infrastructure, but also to strengthen their ability to respond to environmental, social, and climate-related challenges.
The result goes beyond improved water infrastructure. It reflects a stronger, more organized, and informed community with greater ownership over the sustainable management of its water resources. This experience demonstrates that lasting water security is achieved when infrastructure investments are combined with local participation, knowledge sharing, institutional coordination, and community-led stewardship, creating more resilient and sustainable territories for future generations.
Words by Emmanuel Fontalvo Patiño.
Morena Orellana, a local leader
About the Trifinio Basin project
The project “Fostering Water Security in the Trifinio Region: Formulating a TDA/SAP for the Transboundary Lempa River Basin” is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is executed by the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) in coordination with the Trinational Commission of the Trifinio Plan (CTPT) across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
The project spans 48 months and aims to foster water security in the upper Lempa River basin while increasing the resilience of its ecosystems to climate variability and change.