WASH News Latin America
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
Bolivia: Morales names new environment and water minister
03 Feb 10
Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has appointed María Esther Urdaneta as the country’s new environment and water minister as part of a cabinet shuffle on the second day of his new presidential term.Urdaneta, a former researcher at the center for investigation and promotion of rural communities, will replace former minister René Orellana. She has campaigned for [...]
Costa Rica: Govt developing US$270mn wastewater treatment plan
03 Feb 10
Costa Rica’s state water utility AyA will invest US$270mn to start treating the 2,800l/s of wastewater currently produced in the greater metropolitan area in and around capital San José, local paper La Nación reported.The project involves the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the sewerage networks in nine municipalities in San José and one in Cartago province. [...]
Nicaragua: Congress to create national water authority in 2010
03 Feb 10
Nicaragua’s congressional environment and natural resources committee has approved its 2010 work plan which gives priority to the creation of the national water authority (ANA), congress reported in a release.The national water law was approved in 2007 to protect and preserve the country’s water resources. Under the law, ANA will be a decentralized organization, with [...]
Bolivia: ministry seeks US$100mn funding for water program
03 Feb 10
Bolivia’s water and environment ministry is seeking US$100mn in international funding for the second phase of a program to provide water and sanitation services to residents living just outside the country’s metropolitan areas.The funding would support potable water and sewerage works in areas outside of La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.The first phase [...]
Bolivia: Germany donates US$26mn for rural water, sanitation
03 Feb 10
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 ministry reported on its website.The grant will finance the construction of potable water, sewerage and wastewater treatment systems in rural communities with between 200 and 10,000 residents.The resources [...]
Mexico, Mexico City: water authority head proposes new water tax
03 Feb 10
The director of Mexican national water authority Conagua, José Luis Luege Tamargo, has called for a new tax on water to cover the cost of wastewater treatment and reforestation, Conagua said in a release.While new water tariffs are going some way towards covering the cost of providing potable water, the severe drought in Mexico means [...]
Guyana: govt seeks to become model of water resource management
03 Feb 10
The Guyanese agriculture ministry is looking for ways to make the country a model of water resource management in the Caribbean, government information agency GINA reported on its website.To achieve this it is crucial to decrease water waste and increase its conservation, agriculture minister Robert Persaud said.Over the past few years, Guyana has been investing [...]
Peru: ministry publishes new water regulations
03 Feb 10
Peru’s agriculture ministry (Minag) was expected to publish the country’s new water resources regulations by the end of January 2010 after receiving a draft version of the supreme decree approving the law from national water authority (ANA).The regulations were drawn up following meetings with all players involved in the issue of water resources, including user [...]
Latin America: wastewater treatment moves into high gear
03 Feb 10
Although levels of wastewater treatment are still quite low in Latin America compared to developed countries, notable progress has been made over recent years and opportunities abound, according to the January BNamericas infrastructure intelligence series report [1]. Some Latin American countries have managed to reach wastewater treatment levels of over 80%.Historically a low priority in [...]
Costa Rica: IDB-backed water resource center to open in March 2010
03 Feb 10
The new Central American and Caribbean water resource centre Hidrocec (Centro de Recursos Hídricos para Centroamérica y el Caribe) will open in Costa Rica in March 2010, local paper La Nación reported.The centre will provide technical assistance to help countries in the region preserve their water resources.Located in Guanacaste province’s Liberia city, Hidrocec will operate [...]
