Reasserting community: the social challenge of wastewater management in Panajachel, Guatemala
Ratner, B.D.; Rivera Gutierrez, A.
Human Organization 63(1): 47-56
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0018-7259 DOI: 10.17730/humo.63.1.krkvu1q77km1hk8bDocument Number: 233798
This paper describes an ongoing programme of action research aimed at generating public dialogue among a broad range of local groups and national agencies with a stake in the social, economic, and public health consequences of pollution in Lake Atitlan an in efforts to improve waste water management and treatment. In keeping with the action research model, the goal is not only to study the problem, but also to work collaboratively with local partners in assessing both the underlying causes of the problems and possibilities for cooperative action to address it. As such, the analysis presented here is a snapshot of a work, group consultations, and discussions conducted periodically during January 2001-September 2002, including a stakeholder dialogue organized in April 2001 at the Atitlan Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Panajachel (Guatemala).