IRC's involvement in the SWITCH project in Latin America

SWITCH is a five year research programme (2006-2011) funded by the European Union focused on sustainable Urban Water Management. IRC's contribution has focused on supporting stakeholder engagement processes in SWITCH cities and research on social inclusion issues. In Latin America these cities were: Cali and Bogotá in Colombia, Belo Horizonte in Brazil, and Lima in Peru. In this folder you will find links to governance studies carried out in some of these cities, the SWITCH city papers, which are based on evaluations that took place in 2010, as well as links to the city pages on the SWITCH website.

SWITCH city papers: Latin America

Below you will find the papers presenting the results of the city assessments that took place in Cali, Bogotá, Belo Horizonte and Lima, evaluating the interventions throughout the SWITCH project over the past years. If you are interested in the complete overview of reports and presentations for each of these cities, we would like to direct you to the SWITCH webpages. Please follow the links by clicking on the city name: Cali, Bogotá, Belo Horizonte and Lima.

Learning to work together on urban water management in the city of seven rivers: an assessment of the SWITCH project in Cali

This paper presents the results of the 2010 city assessment of Cali. It first outlines the methodology used. This is followed by explanation of the SWITCH approach in Cali, highlighting the intervention logic, team composition and activities, inputs and resources. One of the issues that had to be dealt with was the need to work together across agencies to address the serious challenges Cali is facing in water management.

Cali_Learning to work together_Smits et al.pdf (629.7 kB)

Starting at the top: preventing pollution from tanneries and cleaning up the Rio Bogotá

The dispute between the authorities and the tanners in the upper reaches of the Bogotá River was at first seen to be about unacceptable pollution of the river. On closer inspection it was clear that it was also about land rights and to some extent, the social exclusion of a community from the decision making processes. Efforts to prevent the tanners from polluting the river had been largely coercive and had failed to engage effectively with their interests. Intermediaries acting “on behalf” of the tanners had not always acted in their best interests. The only solutions on offer were about treatment plants.

Bogota_Starting at the top_Sanz and Osorio.pdf (426.6 kB)

Towards integrated urban water management in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: A review of the SWITCH project

In the final year of the project, a review was undertaken of SWITCH experiences in Belo Horizonte, building on a 2008 mid-term review, both of which involved a review of documents and interviews with a sample of key stakeholders, including researchers among University staff and students, coordinators involved in project management and learning alliance facilitation, and research users such as implementing agencies and city authorities. This paper is the outcome of both assessments and presents the main results of the SWITCH project in the city, identifying lessons learnt and recommendations to support appropriate follow-up of the project in the city, as well as offering insights for other SWITCH cities and similar initiatives elsewhere.

BeloHorizonte_Towards integrated urban water_ Knauer et al.pdf (709.1 kB)

Integrated Urban Water Management in Lima

A review of the SWITCH Lima project: Building capacity for treatment and reuse of wastewater for green spaces and urban agriculture.

Lima_Building capacity for treatment_Castro et al.pdf (1.1 MB)

SWITCH governance studies

Below you will be able to find the reports focusing on governance issues in the SWITCH cities of Cali, Belo Horizonte and Lima. The first overall report, also includes the city of Tegucigalpa. This report is in English. The complete city reports of Cali, Belo Horizonte and Lima are in Spanish.

Mapping governance in Latin American cities

Recent decades have seen a package of governance reforms, such as decentralisation, the establishment of independent regulators and water resources authorities, and democratization of decision-making procedures, all impacting significantly on urban water management. However, the degree to which these reforms have actually been implemented and worked out in Latin American cities varies considerably. This report looks into governance arrangements in four Latin American cities: Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Cali (Colombia), Lima (Peru) and Tegucigalpa (Honduras).

D6.1.2 Mapping governance Latin America.pdf (354.0 kB)

Mapping governance Cali

This report of the findings on mapping governance in Cali is in Spanish. A summary in English can be found in the overall report.

Mapping governance Cali.pdf (510.8 kB)

Mapping governance Belo Horizonte

Although the overall governance situation over environmental sanitation in Belo Horizonte is considered strong, a number of recommendations has been formulated. These recommendations aim to be pragmatic, trying to work within the existing framework, building upon existing strengths and opportunities where these exist.

mapping governance Belo Horizonte.PDF (387.8 kB)