Throughout our entire journey, we have witnessed how people in northern Peru use water in their watershed. Water is extremely important, and it has many different uses. Consider how you use water and what effects you and your community have on your watershed.

Water is essential for growing plants. Farmers depend on water to grow every bit of food that people eat. Beginning in the Andes Mountains, we saw many waterfalls and small streams. Farmers in the mountainous region use this water to irrigate their fields. The water helps the plants grow. This water also seeps into the ground and flows in rivers and streams. If pesticides or fertilizers are used in the farm field, they will get flushed into the water too.

Water can be used to make power. We passed by an area where people were working to construct a dam. This dam will be used for two purposes. Some of the water that is held back by the dam will be diverted through pipes in order to irrigate more farm fields. The second use of the dam is to create hydroelectric power. In other words, the dam will be used to generate electricity for people living in nearby towns.

When we began paddling our canoes in the Samiria River, we saw the river at its very beginning. The river was just a small creek, winding its way through the rainforest. Each day that we paddled, we could tell that the river was getting bigger. It got progressively wider, and the current got gradually stronger. Day by day as we watched the river change, we saw how different people interacted with the river.

One important source of food actually lives in the river: fish. In the rainforest there are not many sources of protein, so fish are a very important part of peoples’ diets. Fishermen in this area use nets to catch a variety of fish. People use the river for transportation. We have seen people in a whole variety of boats. Fishermen paddle small dugout canoes to check their nets. Larger boats with motors are used to transport many people from town to town. Many communities that we passed by actually do not have roads between them. Instead, the communities depend on the river to connect them. People use the river for staying clean. We have seen people washing many things in the river including dishes, clothing, and even themselves. That is how we clean up, too. Sometimes we just jump from our canoes into the river. In some places, people collect rainwater. On their roofs, they have a gutter system that funneled the water into a larger container. From there, it can be used for drinking, bathing, cooking, washing dishes, and washing clothing. After the water is used, it then drains into the river. Basically, raindrops that fall in the Samiria watershed often provide food, transportation, or some other vital component of human survival as they travel towards the Atlantic Ocean. There are many different ways that people use water. This interaction can be as simple as drinking water from the river; it can be as complex as constructing a dam to create hydroelectric power. You may not be washing your dishes directly in a river, but the water in used in your house came from a river, pond, lake, or the sky. Where does that water go after you pour it down the drain? Consider how your use of water is similar to what we have observed here in the rainforest. Consider how it is different, too.

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