Institutional development of Water Supply and Sanitation sector in Peru is highly diversified

(Lima, December 2001).- The institutional development of the Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) sector is highly diversified Peru. Backed by this strength, the country has overcome a relative scarcity of resources in its efforts to improve coverage and quality of service.

This is the conclusion of the book "Urban planning and management and its Impact on Water and Sanitation Services. Cases: Peru and Venezuela," based on research by Venezuelan urban planner Róger Martínez Rivas of Simón Bolívar University, who presented the publication in Lima with the participation of José Carrera, CAF vice president of Social Development and Environment; Eleonora Silva, CAF director representative in Peru; and Bernardo Requena, CAF director of Social Development.

The study highlights the contribution that urban planning and management can make to overcoming the challenges of increasing the coverage and quality of water supply and sanitation services, and upgrading the substandard habit of human settlements, two issues which are closely related and which have been identified by the United Nations in the Millennium Development Goals.

Despite these achievements, progress in the water supply and sanitation sector has not kept up with the phenomenon of urbanization, specifically, at the level of urban informality, endangering the sustainability of the operations of the sector.

In this respect, the author calls for sustainable housing and urban development policies and a more effective institutional structure at all levels of government: national, regional and local.

Referring to the specific way in which urban planning and management relate to water supply and sanitation services, the researcher analyzed - in the case of Peru - the settlements of the Oasis de Villa sector of Villa El Salvador and Ciudad Pachacuti de Ventanilla, both in Lima; and San Juan de la Fontera-Mollepata Huamanga and the rural community of Casacancha in Vinchos in Ayacucho.

In the cases analyzed, the successes in the coverage of water supply and sanitation services are largely explainable by the adoption of prior measures of urban planning and management, including zoning, physical planning, land registry and regularization of informal ownership.

The study finds that thanks to the participation of the inhabitants of the informal areas in the building, operation and management of the systems, it is possible to provide an economically viable service. At the same time, as the population was brought into the dissemination of adequate sanitary practices, important advances were achieved in levels of public health. The technical assistance of NGOs was a key factor in this task.

Although the organizational strength of the water supply and sanitation sector is well known, the study mentions as improvable aspects the inclusion of self-management schemes in its regulatory framework, the need for technical and economic assistance for small operators of systems in peri-urban and rural areas, and the advisability of building up the supervisory capacity of SUNASS and the municipalities.

In the final conclusions, the researcher recommends studies, organization through planning and a land ownership register in informal settlements in order to build, operate and maintain efficient water supply and sewage collection systems.

Other measures recommended are to transfer land ownership to the occupying families, include regularization of services in a general process of refurbishing settlements and combating poverty; develop projects with alternative designs; build projects by stages, learning from experience and making adjustments; involve from the outset the urban development and health authorities and the communities; follow-up, study and disseminate the results of the experiences.

The author also recommends a national policy of urban planning and physical and legal regularization of land ownership in informal settlements, accompanied by a national policy for the prior physical refurbishment of the areas of expansion.

He suggests promoting and maintaining the participation of municipalities and small-scale operators in the planning and management of water supply and sanitation services, as well as habitat in general. At local level, the aim is to encourage urban planning and management in informal settlements and growth areas, and create tax mechanisms which contribute to financing the required works.

The study also recommends maintaining the participation of the private sector in the services based on different scales and schemes; obtaining technical assistance and specialized advice from NGOs and consultants; and calling on the sector to contribute through social responsibility. Multilateral financial institutions are called on to maintain funding for water supply and sanitation systems, including projects to reduce urban informality and create incentives for technological innovation.

Public health bodies are advised to evaluate the impact of expanded coverage of water supply and integrated improvement of habitat as social determinants of urban health, update health regulations, and maintain the dissemination of scientific knowledge and health education.

Finally, the study recognizes the right of communities to require quality services regardless of their ability to pay, along with adequate housing and a safe and healthy urban habitat. However, it cautions that design of public policies should ensure that the communities contribute to the economic sustainability of the services and be jointly responsible for improving their habitat.

"The work of the State in achieving the goals of coverage and quality of water and sanitation services, and in reducing substandard urban conditions, supported by timely work of urban planning and management, is essential for ensuring that the effort of the communities is effective and their achievements lasting," the research concludes.