Lima, Politics, Provinces

Peru Aims to Invest $5.2 Billion in Potable Water Projects by 2016

Peru’s government said Wednesday that works to improve the coverage of potable water and plumbing in the country will require investments of $5.2 billion in the 2010 to 2016 period.

Jose Luis Becerra, an official from the Housing Ministry, said that in 2010 the potable water coverage in urban areas was 89 percent. The government aims to increase the coverage to 92 percent by 2016 with an investment of $1.35 billion, state news agency Andina reported.

In urban areas, the government also aims to increase plumbing coverage to 88 percent by 2016, from 81.9 percent in 2010. Projects to improve the treatment of sewage water are also expected to require investments of $521 million in that period, Becerra said.

In Lima, the country’s largest city and with a population of close to 10 million, authorities estimate that about a million people do not have access to running water, while services for another million are intermittent due to old pipes and other infrastructure problems. The State water utility for Lima, Sedapal, has estimated an investment of about $2 billion to replace the pipes and expand water coverage to the poorest residents.

However, as with most services in Peru, running water and plumbing coverage is far less available in rural areas. The government aims to increase potable water coverage in rural areas to 57 percent by 2016, from 38.8 percent in 2010, while plumbing is expected to increase to 45 percent coverage from 21 percent.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*