Isla Urbana’s sustainable rainwater harvesting solution cleans rainwater for households, schools and health clinics.

1 in 10 people in Mexico lack access to water. This problem is not only found in rural communities and remote areas of the country but in the biggest city of the country too, Mexico City.

The lack of water in Mexico results in health problems, poor living conditions, and increased expenses to access this resource. Families living in poverty can’t access a sustainable constant water supply.

Isla Urbana’s rainwater harvesting solution, called Tlaloque, is an environmentally, social, and economic sustainable system that collects and cleans rainwater for households, schools, and health clinics. Their B2B model makes their solution to be affordable, easy to install and provides their clients with 40% of their annual water supply on average. If implemented on a large scale throughout Mexico City, this simple technology could provide 30% of the city’s water and help give a sustainable water source to the 12 million Mexicans who lack access to clean water. 

With their hybrid model where they are a Social Enterprise and an NGO, Isla Urbana has helped vulnerable indigenous communities (Huicholes, Mazatecas, and Tarahumaras mainly), public schools, and health institutions. In these last 10 years, Isla Urbana has

• Installed more than 17,000 rainwater harvesting systems.
• Reached more than 119,000 beneficiaries with their initiatives
• Won 1st place at 2015’s UBS Visionaries Award and 2020’s Water Challenge 2020 by Softys.

Isla Urbana’s keeps focussing on its mission is to contribute a concrete solution to the sustainable supply of water in Mexico by driving rainwater harvesting and other practices that allow rational, ecological, and equitable access to water for all.