ROSARIO

The House of Water

This is a place to have fun and learn why water is so important for life and how to preserve it.

During the winter break (July), The House of Water opens its doors to the community at large, with tours that begin in an open-air facility covering 1500 m2 (about 16,146 ft2) and following a “path of questions,” which serves as a preview of the contents that are developed later on in the visit. Some of the questions are: What is water? Where does it come from? How is it made drinkable? Why should we preserve it?

Afterwards, there is a section with interactive signs for children to play with, which first give information about water as a global resource and then move on to water in specific cases: water in the world, the water cycle, water in the city and the water in our bodies.

Next, there is a round fountain at the bottom of which are written the various names given by the indigenous peoples of Argentina to water. In this part of the tour, the rituals, myths and festivities related to water and associated with different cultures are discussed. There, the children can participate in the “Water Orchestra,” in which the sound of water plays a crucial role. Rain sticks and sikus (panpipes) made out of bottles are made available to the children in this section.

The open-air part of the tour includes a visit to a small outdoor auditorium and an explanation of what it means to use water in a responsible manner. Moreover, there is a show in which actors represent everyday actions connected with personal hygiene, house cleaning, plant watering, car washing, etc., in order to highlight the need to use only the necessary amount of water, without wasting it. 

Making Water Drinkable 
The House of Water contains a “Water Treatment Room” that includes a mock-up of Rosario’s Water Treatment Plant and a description of the processes involved in treating water (both surface and borehole water) so that people may drink it from the faucet. There is also an auditorium screening educational videos about water and an art gallery with an exhibition of photos taken at the Water Treatment Plant by an amateur group of photographers, the “Banda dominguera” (Sunday Group), from the “Peña Fotográfica de Rosario” (Rosario Photography Center).