Born Latin American Confederation for Community Organization in Water and Sanitation
As part of the Latin American Management II Community Water and Sanitation, held from 13 to 15 September in Cusco, Peru with the presence of representatives of community associations in 14 countries in Latin America, including members of FANMex Environmental Studies Group BC and Keepers of the Volcanoes and after a year of discussions from the meeting in Samaipata, the Latin American Confederation of Community Organizations for Water and Sanitation Services (OCSAS) was born. Leer más →
Perú – Camana to begin US$9mn sewerage project
Peru’s Camana province, in Arequipa region, is set to begin a rehabilitation and expansion project on its 45-year old sewerage system, according to Camana governor Sergio Davila Vizcarra. The project will require an investment of 25.5mn soles (Euro 7.018), state news agency Andina reported.
Read full article on: BNmericas.com, [Subscription site], 23 August 2010
Peru loses 42 percent of potable water due to misuse, leaks
Peru is currently wasting about 42 percent of its potable water as a result of consumer misuse and leaks, communications supervisor David Falcón of the country’s national sanitation authority Sunass told RPP radio station.
“To compare, while Peru loses 42 percent of its potable water, in first world countries like Japan the percentage lost is only 3.5 percent, in Germany it is 5 percent, as well as in other Latin American countries like Mexico only 17 percent is lost,” Falcón said.
The main difference in other countries is better material, technology and infrastructure that is used in their drainage systems, which will hopefully soon be implemented in Peru, Falcón said.
Water supplies in Peru are a major issue, particularly in the country’s arid costal region. In Lima, the world’s second largest desert city after Cairo, Egypt, water resources are scarce and fragile as the city’s growing population is increasing demands on its aquifer and run off from rivers.
Source: Peruviantimes, July 1, 2010
Peru, Lima: García supports call for US$280mn desalination plant
A group of mayors from Peru’s southern Lima districts have asked President Alan García to speed up a project to build a seawater desalination plant in the area. […] The [US$280mn] project was presented by UK waterworks company Biwater and is currently being evaluated by state agency for promoting private investment ProInversión.
[…] «We have the president’s support to speed up the project and, if possible, start works in August or September this year,» San Bartolo district mayor Jorge Marthelmes Camino was quoted as saying. The Biwater initiative would be the first desalination plant in Peru to be used for potable water distribution. It is designed to supply 350,000 people in districts San Bartolo, Punta Negra, Punta Hermosa, Pucusana and Lurín.
García declared seawater desalination for human consumption and irrigation a national objective at the inauguration of an international seawater desalination forum held in Lima this March [2009]. South Korean firm Doosan Heavy Industries [is interested] in building two [desalination] plants in Lima’s Ancón and Pucusana districts, [costing] US$1.5bn.
Source: BNamericas [subscription site], 30 Apr 2009
Critics of this kind of large-scale investment in developing new water sources often point to fact that it is more cost effective to reduce levels of unaccounted for water (leakages, illegal connections). It is estimated that 45% of the water produced in Peru is unaccounted-for. In 2008, water utility Sedapal, which serves Lima and neighboring city Callao, lost US$2mn daily due to illegal connections. «Too much of the water industry’s focus in the last 40 years had been on «big sexy capital works projects» and water treatment», said Tim Waldron, chairperson of the International Water Loss Task Force, at the Water Loss 2009 conference in Cape Town. In that respect, Biwater’s involvement in the Lima desalination project will raise a few eyebrows as the company has been involved in numerous controversial water projects.
Peru: sanitation – two out of three installations not used!
Such is the observation made by «Alternative Pro-poor Sanitation Solutions in Peru» (APSS), despite the numerous sanitation investments of the last few years for families, especially the poorest ones. The program supported by the Foundation Ensemble and undertaken in collaboration with the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) begins with this fact to act simultaneously on supply and demand. On the one side, awareness actions are undertaken to explain the challenges and opportunities of sanitation, and stimulate demand. Access to credit is facilitated. On the other side, activities focus on developing the supply locally, engage institutions and suppliers, and provide them with the means of meeting the evolving demand. Overall, five pilot zones are being studied, and the results are already encouraging.
Find out more:
- Fondation Ensemble – Alternative sanitation solutions for the most underprivileged – WSP- Peru
- WSP – Alternative Pro-poor Sanitation Solutions in Peru [project sheet]
Source: Fondation Ensemble newsletter, no. 11, Apr 2009
Peru: Ministers approve legislation to accelerate public works tenders
Peru’s ministerial council has approved a law to cut in half [from 60 to 30 days] the timeframe for awarding public potable water and sanitation tenders, local press reported. Together, the initiatives account for US$1.5bn in the 2009 budget. […] The new legislation will apply not only to ministries but also to regional and local governments. Currently, 1,600 water and sanitation projects are being developed on a national level. The measure is part of government plans to combat the global financial crisis, Vílchez said.
Source: BNamericas [subscription site], 27 Mar 2009
Latin America: transboundary water issues – conflict and collaboration
Chilean and Peruvian foreign relations authorities will discuss [in March 2009] a project in Peru’s Tacna province and its effect on water resources in northern Chile. […] Peruvian mining firm Minsur is currently working on the Peruvian side of the Azufre river basin, and the Azufre river becomes a tributary of the Lluta river on the Chilean side of the border.
The mining company plans to extract 30l/s of water as part of its gold and silver mining operations. The project could have a permanent effect on the river basin, used to irrigate some 2,700ha in region XV, Chilean public works ministry’s (MOP) general water authority DGA officials claim.
[…] Chilean civilian groups have contacted local authorities, claiming the use of aquifers in Peru has affected water availability in the region. Peru’s industrial and water activities have also been questioned by Bolivian authorities, as other initiatives have affected the amount and quality of water resources in that country.
Source: Eva Medalla, BNamericas [subscription site], 03 Mar 2009
Mexico and Guatemala are considering establishing a bilateral treaty to address issues related to shared international water resources for human consumption and domestic use, Mexican paper El Informador reported.
Mexican foreign affairs ministry SRE said both parties agreed on supplying water to their respective border communities to guarantee each country’s self-sufficiency . […] Mexico [also] announced it [expects to finish] building [drinking water supply] systems [for] local communities that are currently served by waters originating in Guatemalan territory […] by May [2009].
Source: BNamericas [subscription site], 05 Mar 2009
Peru: pension funds to invest in infrastructure soon through trust
A trust created by Peru’s private pension fund managers (AFPs) to invest in infrastructure projects will soon start to operate, local daily Expreso reported. [These funds] have suffered greatly since the onset of the global financial crisis and they are now looking for more stable investment alternatives, like infrastructure. Peru’s state development bank Cofide will join the AFPs in the trust and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) may also chip in. The AFPs are currently eying investing in projects such as the Huascacocha water transfer initiative […] and the Taboada wastewater treatment plant.
Source: BNamericas [subscription site], 27 Feb 2009
Noticias sobre WASH para América Latina 