Water

Guaranteeing water security, a priority for Central America

Also available in: Español

Corredor Seco, Honduras. Copyright: Angels Maso. World Bank.

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to visit the "Federico Boquín" water treatment plant and dam in Tegucigalpa, one of the main sources of water supply for the Honduran capital. As we walked beside the local Mayor, "Tito" Asfura, who accompanied us during the visit, we discussed the relevance of this resource.

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Four years ago, Juan Angel Sandoval, a resident of Barrio Buenos Aires in the Honduran municipality of Siguatepeque, received water at home only three times a week. His was not an isolated reality. Most of his neighbors, were in the same situation. "It was annoying because the water was not enough," says Juan Angel.

Also available in: Español

A beneficiary family from the commmunity of San José del Paredón (in Chuquisaca, Bolivia) celebrates the new irrigation system. — A beneficiary family from the commmunity of San José del Paredón in Bolivia celebrates the new irrigation system. Photo: Gabriela Orozco / World Bank.

“When the company let us down, we only imposed a fine. We must be firm with companies and with vendors, otherwise they fail to fulfill their end. This is how to move the project forward”. This testimony impressed me a lot when I heard it from an indigenous woman in Bolivia, who was proud to be part of the steering committee and defend the interests of the community in the project.

Bolivia has a terrific success story to tell about encouraging rural women to take the lead in their communities and organizations and lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

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The case of the Maldonado stream: The voice of a citizen

Imagine a busy metropolitan avenue crossing the length of Buenos Aires, Argentina, transited daily by buses and trains and lined with a large hospital, medical buildings, schools, shops and businesses.

Now imagine for 27 years this avenue flooding severely 37 times as if it were a river. During a flood, envision people being evacuated in motorboats, cars practically floating downstream, and cars and pedestrians on the bridge above it having to remain stranded there until the waters on the avenue below receded. It sounds implausible doesn’t it? Not for Buenos Aires residents it didn’t. The Juan B. Justo Avenue was such a thoroughfare.

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Trois ans après le tremblement de terre, Haïti a progressé dans des domaines de développement clés, y compris l'éducation, l'économie et la gestion des risques liés aux catastrophes naturelles. Dans ce video blog, le vice-président régional Hasan Tuluy partage ses cinq voeux principaux pour Haïti en 2013.

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Three years after the earthquake, Haiti has made gains in key development areas including education, the economic environment and managing the risk of natural hazards. In this video blog, World Bank regional Vice President Hasan Tuluy shares his top five wishes for Haiti in 2013.

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Alphonsine and her three children walk over 10 hours a week just to meet their basic need for drinking water. The journey is best done in the early hours of the morning before the heat becomes unbearable.

Rural water coverage in Haiti continues to be the lowest in the Western hemisphere, with only 55% of the population having access to an improved drinking water source compared to an average of 80% for rural areas in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the latest available figures from WHO and UNICEF.

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Water is vital, not only for people but also for green policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Managing it not only includes preventing fatalities due to natural disasters or climate change adaptation but also providing the most vulnerable people with access to drinking water.

This is why one of the most important “green¨challenges the region faces is to create an efficient, practical and accessible water supply for all. In this video blog, Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, World Bank Sector Director for Sustainable Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, explains Mexico´s achievements and successes in this area.