Water supply systems for rural communities in Colombia are designed from an urban perspective that neglects use of water for domestic and small scale productive activities that contribute to the family income. While systems are being used for multiple purposes, policies, laws and regulations for planning, design, management, operation and maintenance are oriented to the purpose of providing drinking water for human consumption.

Ignoring these multiple demands, systems are designed with allocations lower than those really required, water needs exceed the capacity of the infrastructure and this leads to a lack of continuity in supply, reduction of the service levels, and conflicts between users and between users and service administrators.

This note aims to create awareness about the multiple water needs of rural people and is targeted at people working on planning and developing services for supplying water. It aims to broaden perceptions on alternative ways to supply waters in terms of sources and technologies, and to present strategies to introduce Cleaner Production options for domestic and small scale productive activities for such communities.