Audit reveals water mismanagement in Colombia
Colombia's comptroller general detected irregularities in several water projects financed through the country's royalties system. Out of 23 aqueducts and wastewater treatment plants audited, which received in total 39bn pesos (US$14mn), only two were found to be functioning correctly.
Some "65% of the audited aqueduct projects are inefficient, since they have underused infrastructures, unused water quality monitoring labs, not enough supplies to operate treatment plants and their personnel lacks training to operate the systems," the comptroller said in a press release.
The regulator also found that only half of the projects, distributed across seven departments and mostly in rural areas, fulfilled environmental requirements related to water catchment when they were approved by royalties and investment administrator Ocad. The regulator said this "is reproachable, because it doesn't take into account the essential issues of environmental protection, water basin protection, ecologic resources and other issues in their construction nor in their operation."
On an infrastructure level, only 13% of the projects fulfil the technical requirements for appropriate operation, while 39% present flaws in their water catchment system, 43% have deficient treatment systems and 35% have faulty water distribution systems.
In daily El Tiempo the head of the regulator Edgardo Maya called these projects "White Elephants," saying that they are being administrated by communal associations or public service utilities that lack the capacity to do so.
"Colombia is a country with a high hydrological potential; however, it is discouraging to see that despite the fact that more resources are reaching the local administrations, there are several municipalities or departments without potable water," he said.
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