Thermal Houses Keep People Warm in Peru's Highlands
By Mariela Jara
Néstor Flores, who lives in the village of Quinsalakaya, more than 4,300 meters above sea level, in
the Andes highlands of southeastern Peru, stands outside his new adobe brick home, where he and
his family will move before the end of the year and which will allow them to live free of cold and
smoke. Credit: Annie Solis/IPS
HUAYRAPATA, Peru, Dec 6 2018 (IPS) - Thirty families from a rural community more than 4,300 meters above sea level will have warm houses that will protect them from the freezing temperatures that each year cause deaths and diseases among children and older adults in this region of the southeastern Peruvian Andes.
José Tito, 46, and Celia Chumarca, one year younger, peasant farmers who live in the village of Quinsalakaya and are part of the group of 30 families whose new houses will be finished this month and who will be able to spend the end of the year without cold or smoke in their homes.
We have two daughters, ages seven and four, and they are the ones who suffer the most from the freezing temperatures. We want to be warm in our homes, and thats why we decided to participate in this project, which is new here, it hasnt been seen before, Tito told IPS, enthusiastic about the prospect of having a house where the cold doesnt seep in through cracks in the walls.
The Andes highlands region of Puno is one of the coldest in Peru. Between May and September the temperature drops at night to 18 degrees Celsius below zero, causing acute respiratory illnesses and deaths, especially among children and the elderly.
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http://www.ipsnews.net/2018/12/thermal-houses-keep-people-warm-perus-highlands/