Water supply and sanitation in Peru

Water supply and sanitation in Peru
Data
Access to an improved water source85%[1]
Access to improved sanitation71%[1]
Share of collected wastewater treated22% (2004)
Continuity of supply71%[2]
Average urban water use (L/person/day)259
Average urban water and sanitation tariff (US$/m3)0.38
Share of household metering50%
Annual investment in WSSUS$6/capita
Share of self-financing by utilitiesvery low
Share of tax-financingn/a
Share of external financingn/a
Institutions
Decentralization to municipalitiesFull, since 1990
National water and sanitation companyNone
Water and sanitation regulatorYes
Responsibility for policy settingMinistry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation
Sector lawYes (1994 and amended subsequently)
No. of urban service providers50 companies and 490 municipalities
No. of rural service providers11,800

The water and sanitation sector in Peru has made important advances in the last two decades, including the increase of water coverage from 30% to 85% between 1980 and 2010. Sanitation coverage has also increased from 9% to 37% from 1985 to 2010 in rural areas.[3] Advances have also been achieved concerning the disinfection of drinking water and in sewage treatment. Nevertheless, many challenges remain, such as:

  • Insufficient service coverage;
  • Poor service quality which puts the population's health at risk;
  • Deficient sustainability of built systems;
  • Tariffs that do not cover the investment and operational costs, as well as the maintenance of services;
  • Institutional and financial weakness; and,
  • Excess of human resources, poorly qualified, and high staff turnover.
  1. ^ a b World Health Organization; UNICEF (2010). "Joint Monitoring Program". Archived from the original on 2008-02-16. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
  2. ^ (in Spanish) National Housing and Water Plan 2006-2015, p. 73
  3. ^ "WHO/UNICEF JMP". Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2012-07-16.