Colombia: testing innovative models for rural water and sanitation services

Photo: IRC

NGO “Give to Colombia” will implement several pilot projects that will serve as models for the Rural Water Supply and Wastewater Management Program in Colombia. This large-scale programme is financed with the help of a US$ 60 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The pilot projects have four components:

• School water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (SWASH), which will implement and evaluate UNICEF’s model for SWASH interventions in at least 25 rural public schools
• Post-construction support and the sustainability of rural water projects with a focus on innovative financial models
• Sustainable models for the financing and provision of household connections
• Sustainable self-supply models for disperse rural communities

The AquaFund and Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction are financing the pilot projects. Contributors to the Aquafund are IDB, the governments of Switzerland and Austria, and the PepsiCo Foundation.

The pilot projects will cost about US$ 2.1 million. The implementing agency Give to Colombia (G2C) receives resources from the Embassy of Japan and the General Electric Foundation. PepsiCo Colombia is supporting the dissemination of the innovative models being developed in the projects.

In 2011, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and CINARA carried out a study on behalf of IDB, about post-construction support on rural water supply services in Colombia [1]. The study [2] shows that those service providers that receive more structured support perform better.

[1] IADB publishes report on post-construction support on rural water supply services in Colombia, IRC, 21 Aug 2012 ; Webinar – Impacts of post-construction support on the performance of rural water supply in Colombia, IRC,

[2] Smits, S. et al., 2012. Gobernanza y sostenibilidad de los sistemas de agua potable y saneamiento rurales en Colombia. (Monografia; IDB-MG-133). [online] Washington, DC, USA: Inter-American Development Bank. Available at: <http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=36986189>

Related websites:

• IDB – Rural Water Supply and Wastewater Management Program (CO-L1105)
• IDB – AquaFund
• Give to Colombia (G2C)
• IRC – Triple-S/Water services that last – Colombia

Source: Latin American Herald Tribune, 10 Oct 2012 ; IDB, 02 Oct 2012

Haiti: unarmed in the fight against cholera, death toll passes 500

Cholera prevention poster in Haiti. In reality clean water, sanitation and nearby health clinics are absent in most rural communities. Photo: PAHO

Safe water and sanitation, vital tools to combat the current cholera epidemic, are absent in most communities in Haiti, reports IRIN. The death toll rose to 501 on 6 November 2010, up from 442 on 3 November, and hospitalisations for cholera totaled 7,359, up from 6,742.

Haiti is one of the few countries in the world where both urban and rural sanitation coverage has steadily decreased between 1990 and 2008, according to the WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation (WHO/UNICEF, March 2010).

Historical legacies of inequality, corruption, and extreme poverty all contribute to the Haitian government’s systemic inability to deliver safe water and sanitation.

Uruguay: drinking water for 355 rural schools and villages

In the presence of President José Mujica, Spanish ambassador Aurora Díaz-Rato and singer Jorge Drexler, a US$ 6.85 million grant agreement was signed for a four-year program that will improve water and sanitation at 355 rural schools, improving access to water for 24,000 people.

Left to right: Pres. José Mujica, Carlos Colacce (OSE), Jorge Drexler

The grant for the “Small Rural Communities Water Supply Program” comes from the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean. The government of Uruguay will provide an additional US$ 6.85 million for the programme administered by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and executed by the state-owned utility OSE.

The program focuses on rural schools, which play a key role in social integration and are at the centre of community initiatives. OSE has already started the program in 37 localities, each with an average of 20 houses. OSE charges a “social” tariff of 53 pesos (US$ 2.60) for up to 15 cubic metres of water.

By focusing on rural schools, the program will help maximize the benefits of installed water supply capacity and introduce education in hygiene and water conservation. It will begin by installing public standpipes and cylindrical water towers common in many rural areas. At a later stage, individual home connections will be implemented.

The program will upgrade schools’ water and sanitation infrastructure and ensure proper management of wastewater.

The grant signing ceremony was the the first official appearance of Jorge Drexler as “Water Ambassador” for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Spanish government appointed the Oscar-winning Uruyguan musician and doctor as goodwill ambassador for the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean on World Water Day 2010.

Related web sites:

• IDB – UR-X1007: Water Program for small Rural Communities
• IDB – Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean
• OSE – Obras Sanitarias del Estado

Source: Portal 180 [in Spanish], 16 Sep 2010 ; OSE, IDB, 30 Jul 2010 ; Portal 180, 22 Mar 2010

Costa Rica: regulator calls for improved rural water supply

Public services regulator, Aresep, has called on local water utilities to improve the quality of rural water and sanitation systems.

A study by Aresep of 80 rural water and systems run by local local water and sewerage associations (Asadas*) found that water meters and proper disinfection systems were lacking, and that pipes needed to be replaced. Most users rely on septic tanks because there are no sewerage and wastewater treatment systems.

Asadas run 1864 rural water supply systems, which serve 1.2 million people. They operate independently under a delegation agreement with the national water and sewerage utility AyA.

Aresep proposed measures to protect intake works and water catchment areas from contamination. A study by the National Water Laboratory, published in August 2010, revealed that 31% of rural water supplies were contaminated.

In August 2010, AyA president Oscar Nuñez announced that US$ 480 million was needed to improve and maintain rural water supply systems.

* Asociaciones Administradoras de Sistemas de Acueductos y Alcantarillados Comunales

Related web sites (in Spanish):

• Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos (Arsep) – Water
• Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) – Rural Water Supply

Source: Alonso Mata B., La Nacion [in Spanish], 31 Aug 2010 ; InsideCostaRica.com, 02 Sep 2010

Paraguay: IDB, Spanish govt approve US$ 52 million for rural water programme

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Spanish government’s cooperation fund for water and sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean (FCAS) will contribute US$52mn to a program to provide potable water and sanitation services to rural and indigenous communities in Paraguay.

Read full article on: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 23 Mar 2010

Create a safer water supply in Bolivia

Access to a safe and reliable water and Sanitation is a difficult challenge in Bolivia and a growing area of focus for humanitarian development.

According to Bolivian government-supplied statistics, the percentage of people with access to safe water in Bolivia is quite high. In rural areas however, the numbers are much lower, with only 68% having access to a safe and reliable water supply and 22% with access to sanitation. Water For People has been working in Bolivia’s rural communities since 1992—almost since its inception—and has maintained an office in the country since 1997.

Water For People’s programs in Bolivia are conducted under the leadership of country coordinator Abraham Aruquipa and a team of five Bolivian professionals.

Water development technologies used in Bolivia include gravity-fed water systems, protected springs, storage tanks, pumped water systems, and locally manufactured household hand pumps. Sanitation projects typically involve the construction of dry-composting latrines, pour-flush and/or conventional flush toilets, and household bathrooms, including some with showers.

Almost all of Water For People–Bolivia’s projects have been constructed in 10 municipalities spread across different geographic regions. Over the next five years, however, Water For People–Bolivia will work more regionally, focusing on municipalities in three departments. Consistent with Water For People’s model, almost all projects have involved working with three primary partners: a government entity, a local nongovernmental organization, and the benefiting community.

Working closely with its in-country staff, Water For People has developed an aggressive strategic plan to make a more meaningful impact in meeting the water and sanitation needs in Bolivia between 2007-2011.

Water For People–Bolivia has supported a total of 176 projects from 1997 through 2006, benefiting more than 42,000 people.

Source:http://www.waterday.org/?uid=paa07D0BCA855AC0D6CB

Project Contacts
Water for People
6666 W. Quincy Avenue
Denver , CO 80235
United States
Phone: 303.734.3490 • Fax: 303.734.3499
www.waterforpeople.org/site/PageServer?pagename=About_Departments
info@waterforpeople.org

Bolivia: Germany donates US$26mn for rural water, sanitation

German development bank KfW has signed an agreement with Bolivia’s environment and water ministry to donate 18.5mn euros (US$26.1mn) for a rural water and sanitation program. The program will be carried out in parallel to a similar initiative [Small Community Water Program] being financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Read full article on: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 22 Jan 2010

Brazil, Paraná: Funasa approves US$57.4mn for small town sanitation projects

Brazil’s national health foundation (Funasa) has approved some 101mn reais (US$57.4mn) for sanitation projects in small towns in the state of Paraná. Another 13.2mn reais will be used to supply water to residents in more rural areas,

Read full article on: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 14 Jan 2010

Peru: govt to approve US$90mn water, sanitation project in Feb 2009

A five-year US$90mn project backed by the the Spanish government’s cooperation fund for water and sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean to improve water and sanitation for 500,000 people in Peru’s rural areas is scheduled to be approved in February 2010. The Spanish government will donate US$72mn, which will be administered by Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Read the full article on: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 22 Dec 2009

Peru: Agualimpia seeks to expand model in Latin America

Peruvian NGO Agualimpia is looking to expand its model to the rest of Latin America to facilitate the expansion of potable water and sanitation services in rural communities, the NGO’s director and general manager, Mercedes Castro, said.

Agualimpia is dedicated to educating poor, rural communities on the importance of having and paying for potable water and sanitation. It also provides technical advice on project planning and the construction of sanitation networks, and promotes the creation of local water and sewerage operators.

The organization is currently helping rural communities in Peruvian regions Ancash, La Libertad and Arequipa to implement potable water and sewerage networks and connect these services to their homes.

The NGO would like to start up activities in the rest of Peru or have similar organizations reproduce its operational model in the rest of Latin America, said Castro.

Agualimpia is mainly funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and with donations from the private sector so it is not easy to expand quickly. “However, our experience could easily serve as an example for other areas and countries that lack basic services in poor rural or urban areas,” said Castro.

Agualimpia’s model could be used in Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Colombia, among other Latin American countries, where authorities have had trouble making people understand the need to pay for potable water and sanitation services.

Source: Eva Medalla, BNamericas.com [subscription site], 20 Aug 2009