Context
Sustainable drinking water and sanitation systems are something that a large portion of Peru’s population cannot yet take for granted.
Around 4.5 million Peruvians do not have reliable access to drinking water, and over 40 per cent do not have adequate sanitation systems. This is especially the case for poor families living in peri-urban areas and rural regions. Municipal water utilities are often unable to guarantee basic service provision due to a lack of qualified personnel and weak management capacities.
Objective
All actors in the water sector are better able to efficiently deploy their resources for the sustainable development of drinking water and sanitation systems.
Approach
German international cooperation supports the Peruvian Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation as it works to improve conditions in the water sector. The project also assists sector stakeholders to enable them to guarantee water supply and wastewater management in the long term and make lasting improvements to living conditions for the population.
Good governance in the water sector. Unstable local governance structures are hindering sustainable water supply and sanitation. New regulatory and management instruments have been introduced to improve governance of municipal water supply. High expectations have been placed on the implementation of a new law to modernise the municipal water sector, which was developed with the help of advisory services from German development cooperation.
Capacity development in the water sector. Up until now, the sector has not had a systematic training programme in place for specialists or the means required to retain competent staff. Peru has established the National System for Capacity Development (SFC) to align supply and demand for training, establish technical assistance and technology transfer and secure financing for training activities.
Sustainable drinking water supply and sanitation. Weak management capacities at water utilities, a lack of sufficiently trained workers and delays in making necessary investments frequently hamper the provision of basic sanitation services. German development cooperation is working together with national partners to improve the situation at 14 water utilities. The focus is on expanding infrastructure, enhancing the quality and duration of supply, optimising costs, increasing revenues and promoting sustainable business management.
Introduction of a dual training and certification scheme for technicians. A training, continuing education and certification scheme is being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Housing, the training institutions SENATI and SENCICO, and water utilities. This scheme is based on the German model for environmental engineering professions and aims to ensure dual training and counteract the shortage of specialists.
Rural sanitation. Local government staff are being trained so that they can advise rural water utilities independently. Setting up and providing training for 132 rural water utilities in eight regions has significantly improved the living conditions of 18,444 families.
Results achieved so far
The parliament unanimously adopted a new law to modernise the municipal water sector.
40 of 50 water utilities have introduced new regulatory and management instruments.
93 per cent of training activities are financed by water utilities from their own funds.
The 14 water utilities receiving advice have markedly improved their financial position, and service provision for the population is much better.
The new law on indirect discharges of wastewater by industry and businesses has already helped to improve wastewater quality and generated significant additional revenues that can in turn be used to modernise wastewater management.
92,220 people in rural areas have gained lasting access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities.