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In this work an experimental and numerical study of the decontamination efficiency is carried through, aiming at the application of the solar energy in the water treatment. The methodology used in the disinfection treatment is the one proposed by Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS). The contaminated water samples were collected at the communities of Robalo and Saramén, where the population is usually very poor and the incidence for water borne diseases is high. For the microbiological analyses, the pre and post-disinfection, the Colilert method was used. The gotten results had shown the maximum efficiency of 87%, with the temperature of the water of 50ºC and time of solar exposure of 4hs. The results had been treated numerically, through the balance of mass and energy, thus allowing theoretical and experimental comparisons. This study presents initial considerations for the development of an experimental pilot plant. Key-words: Solar energy, water treatement, communities, microorganismos. 1