Water supply and sanitation in Chile

Not to be confused with Water resources management in Chile.
Water supply and sanitation in Chile
The flag of Chile
Data
Water coverage (broad definition)(improved water source) 96% (2010)[1]
Sanitation coverage (broad definition)(improved sanitation) 96% (2010)[1]
Share of collected wastewater treated82% (2006)[2]
Continuity of supply100%[2]
Average urban water use (L/person/day)196 (2006)[2]
Average urban water and sanitation tariff (US$/m3)n/a
Share of household metering96% (2006)[2]
Annual investment in WSSUS$23.1/capita (2006)[2]
Share of self-financing by utilitiesHigh
Share of tax-financingn/a
Share of external financingLow
Institutions
Decentralization to municipalitiesNo, central government regulation
National water and sanitation companyNone
Water and sanitation regulatorYes
Responsibility for policy settingMinistry of Public Works
Sector lawYes (1988, amended in 1998)
No. of urban service providers20
No. of rural service providersn/a

Water supply and sanitation in Chile were once considered efficient and equitable but in 2022 Chile struggled to reliably provide water throughout the country due to drought.[3][4] Chile's water resources have been strained by the Chilean water crisis, which was partially caused by a continuing megadrought that began in 2010,[5] along with an increased demand for agricultural and other commercial interests.[6]

Chile began rationing water in April 2022.[7] Chile's water and sanitation sector distinguishes itself in a few key ways. First, all urban water companies are privately owned or operated (the only exception is SMAPA), and water was defined as a private commodity in the 1980 Constitution of Chile. Second, the Chilean government instituted a subsidy for water costs in 1990 for citizens located in impoverished regions.[8] Third, Chile became the first Latin American Country to achieve 100% of its population using basic water sanitation in 2016.[9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference JMP1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e Superintendencia de Servicios Sanitarios (SISS) (2007). "Informe de gestión del sector sanitario 2006" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2008-02-13. pgs. 28-96
  3. ^ Alvarado, Ivan (2022). "'We beg God for water': Chilean lake turns to desert, sounding climate change alarm". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  4. ^ NASA (2016). "A Strained Water System in Chile". Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  5. ^ Garreau, René D.; Boisier, Juan P. (2019). "The Central Chile Mega Drought (2010–2018): A climate dynamics perspective". International Journal of Climatology. 40 (1): 421–439. doi:10.1002/joc.6219. S2CID 198413538. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  6. ^ Lozano Parra, Javier; Pulido Fernández, Manuel; Garrido Velarde, Jacinto (2021). "The Availability of Water in Chile: A Regional View from a Geographical Perspective". Resources of Water. intechopen. doi:10.1002/joc.6219. ISBN 978-1-83881-912-5. S2CID 198413538. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  7. ^ "Chile announces unprecedented water rationing plan as drought enters 13th year". Reuters. 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  8. ^ Palma, Isidora; Gómez-Lobo, Andrés; Contreras, Dante (2018). "Revisiting the distributional impacts of water subsidy policy in Chile: A historical analysis from 1998–2015". Water Policy. 20 (6): 1208–1226. doi:10.2166/wp.2018.073. S2CID 158194967.
  9. ^ World Health Organization (2022). "Population using at least basic sanitation services". Retrieved 2022-09-01.