Spain Providing $164 Million for Safe Drinking Water Projects in Latin America

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Seven Latin American countries will benefit from contributions approved on the 15th of October by the Spanish government amounting to 117.2 million Euros ($164 million) for projects providing safe drinking water and improving aqueducts and sanitation.

The contributions are intended for projects in Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican Republic and will be managed by the Water and Sanitation Cooperation Fund of Spain’s AECID international development agency. There will also be a complementary contribution of 12.9 million Euros ($18 million) to finance new projects to be carried out in cooperation with the Inter-American Development Bank.

About 120 million people lack access systems for potable water and basic health services in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to figures released earlier this year at the 2nd Latin American Sanitation Conference.

Related news: Guatemala: US$ 100 million from Spain and the IDB to improve water and sanitation services, Source News, 21 January 2010.

EFE Source : Herald Tribune, 18 October 2010.

Chile: Government hails reconstruction progress 6 Months after Quake

The Chilean government said Friday the 27 of August  that significant reconstruction progress has been made in the six months since a devastating earthquake that left nearly 500 dead and caused some $30 billion in damage.

President Sebastian Piñera’s administration, which took office two weeks after the Feb. 27 quake struck just off the coast of central Chile, praised advances in education, health, public infrastructure, housing, employment and industry.

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

Brazil: Amazonas planning US$110mn sustainability projects for southeast region

Brazil’s Amazonas state is planning projects worth US$110mn aimed at improving water supply and other sustainability issues through state development plan Proderam, the plan’s executive coordinator, Laercio Cavalcante, told BNamericas.

Read full article on: BAmericas, [subscription database], July 2, 2010

An American woman’s fight to give Haitians clean water

A case of bottled water (400ml) costs around $36 and may last a family about two weeks before the empty bottles end up in a landfill where they would take hundreds of years to decompose. But, a donation of US$30 or TT$180 can literally save lives by guaranteeing that a destitute family living in Haiti has access to clean and safe water; not for two weeks or one month, but for as much as five years.

Recently, FilterPure partnered with another NGO – Global Effect, and established a factory in Jacmel, Haiti where Haitians themselves will be employed to build, manufacture and distribute the life-saving water filters. With a last place ranking on the water poverty index scale, Haiti has the worst access to clean water in the world according to World Water Council. As a result, Haiti has the highest infant mortality rate in the Americas. The Pan American Health Organisation has reported that more than half of all deaths in Haiti were as a result of contaminated water.

’Knowing mothers have to watch their babies die from something preventable as diarrhea is very hard to watch,’ executive director, of FilterPure, Lisa Ballantine told the Express in a phone interview.

The use of the filter is simple, water is poured and filtered through the ceramic pot where it is collected and stored in a five gallon bucket with a tap at the bottom from which a  family can drink safe water. In the first week following the devastating January 12th earthquake in Haiti, FilterPure distributed more than 700 filters.

The ceramic water filters not only provide Haitians with clean, safe water, but the filters are produced locally thereby providing much needed employment for Haitians.

’Access to clean water is going to be the most critical issue facing Haiti which we in the developing world have to respond to. It can be resolved,’ said Ballantine.

 To find out more about or to donate, visit: FilterPure

Source: Trinidad and Tobago express, 19 Jun 2010

By Kimberly Castillo

Uruguay: OSE starts renewing Artigas pipelines in September 2010

Uruguay’s state-owned water and sanitation utility OSE aims to begin work on a project to reduce water losses in Artigas city in September 2010. The utility is currently holding a tender process to hire a company to carry out the work.

Related site: World Bank

Read full article in: BNamericas, [subscription site], 18 June 2010

Panama: Idaan investments in in water, sewerage projects

Panama’s water and sewerage authority Idaan will spend over US$500mn in rural areas over the next four years, according to the entity’s executive director Manuel González Ruiz.

Contact: Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados Nacionales
Tel: 507-5238567, 507 – - 5238568
E-mail: relpublicas@idaan.gob.pa

Read full article on: BNAmericas, [subscription site], 11 May 2010

Puerto Rico: Prasa reaches big settlement with EPA.

he Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (Prasa) has agreed to implement major capital improvements and upgrades to resolve alleged longstanding violations of the Clean Water Act at 126 drinking water plants across the island and violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act at three others, the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Tuesday. Most of the communities served by the drinking water treatment plants that will be upgraded under the agreement are in low-income communities.

The agreement, filed in federal court in the District of Puerto Rico, requires Prasa to implement measures to properly handle harmful pollution from 126 drinking water treatment plants that discharge into Puerto Rico’s lakes, rivers and streams, some of which are sources of drinking water. The work required by the agreement, when fully implemented by the public utility, is estimated to cost more than $195 million.

“Today’s settlement agreement sets the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority on a clear path to improve the infrastructure of their facilities, reduce the amount of harmful pollutants entering the environment and ultimately provide safer drinking water to the people of Puerto Rico,” said Moreno.

Prasa’s efforts to improve the water quality of either Lake Toa Vaca or both Lake Toa Vaca and Lake Cidra will address the growing amount of nutrients in the lakes, both of which are drinking water sources for portions of Puerto Rico. Increased levels of nutrients in water bodies can severely impact ecosystems and human health. As a supplemental environmental project, Prasa will set aside $2.2 million to design and construct an aeration system that will increase oxygen levels in the lakes and an additional $324,000 to operate and maintain the system. This project, when implemented, will enhance the condition of the aquatic ecosystem and restore the water quality of the lakes. A supplemental environmental project is an environmentally-beneficial project that a violator voluntarily agrees to undertake in a settlement and one the violator would not otherwise be required to perform.

Source: Caribbean Businesspr.com, 4 May 2010.

Brown drinking water due to poor pipes and no rain

The drinking water has recently been brown and brackish in a number of districts on Bonaire. WEB (Water and Energy Company Bonaire) received complaints on the water quality – in particular from Nikiboko South, Tera Korá, Belnem and Hato. The company blames the problem on the old water pipes and the lack of rain during the past months. Due to the latter, the demand for water increased so much that WEB had run through their reserve. There was also insufficient production capacity to supplement this reserve in connection with problems at the huge wastewater treatment plant. An additional installation is currently supplying 400 cubic meters of water per day for the time being. Approximately one month ago, the reserve of drinking water was maintained due to that additional installation. The drinking water has been rust-colored since quite a while in various districts on the island. From research carried out by the WEB, is appeared that modernization of the pipe system is essential. Due to the lack of financial means, no overhaul was done in the past, and substantial investment is required to replace the system within short. WEB has recently started with the latter in the districts located at the end of the water pipe system. The company will soon start the large-scaled activities. The infrastructure should therefore last the next twenty years. WEB had concluded a new agreement with General Electric last year for the expansion of water production capacity. A part of the new purification plant is currently operational, which should improve the water quality soon, according to WEB. As soon as WEB receives a compliant on brown water, co-workers of the company will visit the customer to flush out the pipes in the neighborhood – even though this regards a temporary solution. The company guarantees the population that in spite of the brown color; this does not cause a healthcare problem and absolutely fit for consumption. Source: Maarten Island Time, e1 Apr 2010

Miss USA changes view on the world after visiting Third-World poverty

Kristen Dalton, Miss USA 2009, traveled to Bayaguana, Dominican Republic with Children International to help raises awareness about the inaccessibility of clean water many children and families face. Dalton worked with Children International, a U.S.-based humanitarian organization to educate impoverished communities on clean-water practices, and assist them in cleaning their primary water source, Los Pomos River.

“Water is the most basic and vital resource there is. It’s heartbreaking to know children living in poverty have limited access to clean drinking water. Many children and families in the communities I visited walk for hours to find clean water, only to store it where it can be contaminated by animals or insects,” said Dalton.

During her trip to Bayaguana, a small city with a large Haitian immigrant population, Dalton was joined by 30 members of Children International’s Youth Health Corps, a group of peer educators teaching their community how to make healthy decisions, and 36 contestants of the Miss Dominican Republic Universe pageant, who all worked together to remove trash in and around Los Pomos River.

After the river cleanup, Dalton joined members of the Youth Health Corps at a seminar for local mothers on the importance of clean drinking water and its proper storage. At the end, she helped distribute water containers to attendees, which will aid in keeping their drinking water clean.

Dalton added, “I met so many children whose families are extremely poor. The village I saw was just a really tiny area of extremely small, wooden or tin huts. The floors are dirt, and many kids do not have beds. It makes me think twice before complaining about the stresses and worries in my life. I have spent mornings worrying about what I’m going to wear. This community is are worried about finding clean drinking water and staying healthy since they do not have access to healthcare. Knowing and seeing the differences in our daily stresses frames my perspective and reminds me not to worry about trivial things. I hope by sharing my experience in Bayaguana, others are inspired into action as well.”

While there, government officials took note of Miss USA’s work with local children and youth. Dominican Republic Vice President Rafael Alburquerque and Cabinet minister Manuel de Jesus Perez Gomez commended Dalton for her advocacy on behalf of impoverished children, and applauded her use of her crown to improve their lives and health. On behalf of the children of his city, the mayor of Bayaguana also thanked Miss USA for her activism.

Children International President and CEO Jim Cook said, “We appreciate Miss USA’s hands-on clean-water work in the name of children in need. She is truly a passionate advocate for impoverished children everywhere.”

Source: Miss USA changes her view on the world after encountering Third-World poverty, DominicanToday, 15 Apr 2010