Why would Quito, of all places, have a water museum?
More than 75 percent of the Earth is covered in water. Ninety-seven percent of that water is saltwater. Two percent of the water is locked up in ice caps. That means that one percent of all water on Earth is usable by humans. A miniscule amount of that one percent is found in the area around Quito.
So what's the deal with the water museum?
In the next few years, the Andes could be the site of a water crisis. Quito relies on the surrounding snow-capped volcanoes for water. But as these snow-capped volcanoes become less and less snow-capped as a result of climate change, there could be severe water shortages.
Quito decided that it needed to protect and conserve its watershed. Part of this process was an education campaign that explained the water cycle, the importance of conserving water, and how to do so.
This is where the museum comes in. Located on a western slope of the valley overlooking the Old Town, the city built the interactive Yaku Water Museum the educates residents about water. It's not a typical tourist destination.
The museum receives student groups during the week and is open to the general public on weekends (by the way: the last Saturday of every month is free). The museum is geared toward children.
It starts by explaining the process by which water arrives at our homes: starting on the mountains and streams before being collected in reservoirs and undergoing a purification at the water treatment facility before delivery to individual users.
As I mentioned before, it is a very interactive museum. The exhibit talked about the ways in which we use water. Here I am showing the rest of the tour group the proper way to wash clothes on a rock.
Then, visitors talk with the interactive guides about how they can conserve water.
The second half of the museum tour is full of experiments that the kids can do to learn about the various properties of water. There is even a room where you can play with bubbles.
After completing the tour, visitors can enjoy the views overlooking the valley Quito is in.
1 comment:
Do they have a station that explains how to properly and sustainably wash one's hands?
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