Chile community beats drought by restoring forests, soil and watershed

​Rural community on Chile's Chiloé Island restores its water supply. (Picture: Chile's Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity) A small rural community on Chile's Chiloe Island has ended years of dependence on emergency water tanker trucks by restoring its forests, protecting its watershed and building a community-managed water system.The project took years of planning and work by local residents, researchers and landowners. Rather than only building pipes and storage tanks, the community focused on improving the health of the land that supplies water. Nearly seven years after the system began operating, residents continue to receive a reliable water supply.The experience has now been turned into a practical guide for other rural communities that are facing water shortages. While the exact model cannot be copied everywhere, the approach of protecting the water source before building infrastructure can be adapted to many places. The information was published by Chile's Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity.A rainy island faced shortagesChiloe Island is known for heavy rainfall. The Ancud area receives around 87 inches of rain in an average year. Even so, the Catruman community experie...