Water resources in Peru’s densely populated areas along the Pacific coast are scarce and, in most cases, contaminated. Industrial and domestic wastewater flows untreated into rivers. This situation is exacerbated by urbanisation, climate change and surface water pollution.

In many regions, water utilities are very small. Financial management is poor, water charges do not cover costs and operations are often determined by political influence. This has a severely detrimental impact on the quality of the water supply and wastewater management.

The Peruvian government is working to prepare urban water supply and sanitation services to meet the challenges of climate change. The improvement and long-term security of the water supply is a political priority. The Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation is striving for swift implementation of the structural reform of municipal water management that has been developed in recent years.

The project focuses on five strategic elements of the complex reform process in the water sector:

Advising the responsible ministry and subordinate authorities on implementation of the new framework legislation on municipal water management.

- Institutional strengthening of the newly established Technical Body for the Sanitation Services Administration (Organismo Técnico de la Administración de los Servicios de Saneamiento, OTASS).
- Improving the performance of four local water utilities that are participating in the ministry’s reform programme; cofinanced by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and supported by the consulting firm Akut.
- Transfer of knowledge and technology relating to the treatment and reuse of wastewater.
- Working with the most important training institutes in Peru to develop and expand certification systems and dual training schemes for water and wastewater technicians.

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Capacity developmentSpecific to one or several countriesTreatment of wastewater or greywaterGerman governmentGreywater or wastewaterPoliticians and local decision makersPractitionersGovernment-owned entity (not university or research)

Related Countries

Peru