WASH News Latin America
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
AH1N1 Virus Keeps Striking Cuba
26 Apr 10
For the fifth week in a row, the number of H1N1 cases continues to grow throughout the country, said Dr. Otto Pelaez Sanchez, head of the Transmissible Diseases Department of the Cuban Public Health ministry. During the week, 93 new cases of Influenza A (H1N1) virus were confirmed by the National Influenza Virus Labs of [...]
Brown drinking water due to poor pipes and no rain
23 Apr 10
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 [...]
Panama: Water shortage killing cattle
20 Apr 10
Cattle are dying in Cocle Province because of lack of water say farmers.In the Jagüito neighborhood of the town of El Roble, Aguadulce, the deaths of several cattle on ranches have been reported says La Prensa.Claudio García, a rancher in the area, says that it has not rained in the area since last November, and [...]
Miss USA changes view on the world after visiting Third-World poverty
16 Apr 10
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 [...]
In Remote Area of Potosí, People Without Electricity or Water
16 Apr 10
In the province of North Lípez in a remote corner of the department of Potosí, more than 10,000 people live without electricity, potable water, or communication connections. The representative of the province, Isidoro Copa, complained that, “it gives the impression that the State only goes up to the Salar de Uyuni, and beyond that it´s [...]
Peru: new regulations unlikely to solve water conflicts, says expert
14 Apr 10
Peru’s new law regulating hydrological resources is unlikely to solve social conflicts caused by disputes over water, Laureano del Castillo, lawyer and hydrological expert with the national center for social studies (Cepes), told BNamericas.The regulations, which were signed into law by President Alan García on March 2010. They prioritise the use of water in agriculture, [...]
Peru: new standards for effluents are insufficient while coverage remains low – expert
14 Apr 10
The Peruvian environment ministry’s (Minam) new standards for wastewater effluents will have little impact given the country’s low wastewater treatment coverage, Laureano del Castillo, lawyer and hydrological expert with the national center for social studies (Cepes), told BNamericas.“It’s a step forward, but we still have many problems in this area, mainly the low wastewater treatment [...]
Peru, Lima: Ministers propose decreased tariff hike for poor sectors
14 Apr 10
Peru’s ministers council (PCM) has proposed a new potable water tariff scheme based on users’ socioeconomic status, according to official gazette El Peruano.The scheme, which would involve increased subsidies for poor areas, aims to mitigate the effects of a proposed tariff hike by national sanitation authority Sunass, according to PCM president Javier Velásquez Quesquén.Sunass has [...]
Honduras, Tegucigalpa: water authority improving water network with Spanish, Japanese donations
14 Apr 10
Honduran national water authority Sanaa is replacing 1,500km of damaged pipelines with a donation from the Spanish government, Sanaa spokesperson Allan Aragón told BNamericas.The initiative has a budget of 14mn lempiras (US$735,702) and will be carried out in two neighborhoods: 15 de Septiembre and 21 de Octubre, both in capital Tegucigalpa, Aragón said.The project to [...]
Uruguay: OSE investing US$15mn to expand water services to small towns and schools
14 Apr 10
Uruguay’s state-owned water utility OSE is investing US$15mn to make sure all rural areas have potable water services by end-2011, the government said in a release.The Spanish international cooperation agency for development (AECID) will cover half of the cost, with OSE covering the other 50%.Although OSE has high urban potable water coverage, 400 small towns [...]
