Preliminary Assessment of COVID-19 Implications for the Water and Sanitation Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean

COVID-19 has had a severe impact on human health, as well as in social and economic terms, with implications for the management and governance of the water and sanitation sector. These implications are evident in Latin America and the Caribbean due to existing challenges the region faces in accessing water and sanitation services. In spite of significant advances, around 65 million people in the LAC region currently lack appropriate access to water and soap to wash their hands—one of the most basic measures to prevent the spread of disease. Furthermore, social and economic vulnerabilities have exacerbated the effects of the pandemic in the region, particularly among those living in poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic thus requires the mobilization of frameworks such as the human rights to water and sanitation, specifically considering the region’s realities. This paper provides a review of some of the challenges currently faced in the region and advances a series of recommendations for enhancing access to water, sanitation and hygiene. The importance of effective governance, management and communication strategies in the water provisioning sector is highlighted in the context of the pandemic, and the role of science and research for adequate decision making is emphasized.

Download Full-text

2030 Agenda for Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Look from the Human Rights Perspective

10.37774/9789275121115 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Drinking Water ◽

Latin America ◽

Latin American ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Sanitation And Hygiene ◽

Access To Water ◽

The Caribbean

This document was inspired by the need to promote comprehensive actions in the management of water and sanitation services with a human rights focus within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean; in addition, it ratifies the results reported in a PAHO study (2016) on the profound inequalities between urban and rural areas in access to water and sewage services, and the correlation with characteristics such as gender, age, income, education, among others. This report assumed this challenge using a methodology based on the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation (HRWS) analytical framework. This report seeks to provide the most up-to-date overview of the SDG targets 6.1 and 6.2 situation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Besides outlining the general situation of countries, it presents some elements regarding human rights and the targets 6.1 and 6.2 that have been neglected in the initial monitoring of the 2030 Agenda, above all, the dimensions of inequality and affordability. This report presents four case studies, one per sub-regional block, with a more detailed characterization of the national and subnational situations of Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. The results of this study show that a significant proportion of the Latin American and Caribbean population still lacks adequate access to water and sanitation services. Only 65% of the population has access to safely managed water services, a percentage lower than that reported worldwide, which is 71%. With regard to safely managed sanitation services, the situation is even more critical, with an access level of 39% worldwide being reported, compared to 22% in our Region.

Download Full-text

New Approaches to Monitor Inequalities in Access to Water and Sanitation: The SDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean

Water ◽

10.3390/w12040931 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 931 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vitor Carvalho Queiroz ◽

Rodrigo Coelho de Carvalho ◽

Léo Heller

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Latin America ◽

Regional Heterogeneity ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Access To Water ◽

Assessment And Monitoring ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Normative Content

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Targets 6.1 and 6.2 show, in their formulation, some alignment with the normative content of the human rights to water and sanitation (HRWS). However, the principle of equality and non-discrimination, which applies to all human rights, was not clearly incorporated into the indicators adopted to assess and monitor these targets. This paper contributes to bridging this gap by proposing two methodological strategies to address inequalities in analyses of access to water and sanitation services. The first consists in adjusting the indicators of access to these services according to inequality. The second proposes an assessment of intersecting forms of inequality. An application of these methods in Latin America and the Caribbean highlights significant regional heterogeneity and elevated inequality in access to services in the countries of this region. The methods demonstrate their potential in contributing to assessment and monitoring of the SDGs, but outdated or lacking data are obstacles to more in-depth analyses.

Download Full-text

Water and sanitation policies for improving health in South Africa: overcoming the institutional legacy of apartheid

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2005.0038 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

pp. 627-642 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Edina Sinanovic ◽

Sandi Mbatsha ◽

Stephen Gundry ◽

Jim Wright ◽

Clas Rehnberg

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

The South ◽

Financing System ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

Sanitation And Hygiene ◽

Access To Water ◽

New Policies

The burden of water-related disease is closely related to both the socio-economic situation and public health issues like access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene services. Poverty eradication, through improved access to water and sanitation, is the South African government's major priority. This is partly achieved through subsidising the cost of water and sanitation provision to the poor in rural areas. Whilst the new policies have made a remarkable impact on improved access to water and sanitation services, a general problem since the new approach in 1994 has been the lack of integration of policies for water and sanitation and health. This paper analyses the policies concerning rural water supply and sanitation in South Africa. It considers the structure of institutions, the division of responsibilities and legislated and financial capacity of the South Africa's water sector. A more integrated approach for the policies aiming at water access, sanitation and health is needed. In addition, as the local government's capacity to implement different programmes is limited, a review of the financing system is necessary.

Download Full-text

Determinants in implementing a public policy for an essential volume of free water in Bogotá and Medellín, Colombia

Ciência & Saúde Coletiva ◽

10.1590/1413-81232015213.26992015 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 719-730 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Laura Vargas ◽

Léo Heller

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Free Water ◽

National Guidelines ◽

Human Right ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

Access To Water ◽

User Groups

Abstract Within the framework for the realization of the human right to water and sanitation, States have the obligation to implement programs and public policies that satisfy the basic needs of their population, especially its most vulnerable demographics. In Colombia, this challenge has been addressed through policies that provide a determined essential amount of free water to people whose access to water and sanitation services are limited due to low income. Through a review of legal and technical documents as well as relevant literature, this article presents an analysis of the particular determinants involved in implementing this program in Bogotá and Medellín, as well as some related concerns. Among such factors, we discuss the evolution and changes of the tariff model used in service provision, estimates of basic consumption, the role of social movements and collective action, and user disconnection due to non-payment. The main particularities and differences of each case highlighted the inconveniences related to the method of identifying eligible users and applying assistance to beneficiary user groups, and the need for national guidelines in implementing this policy.

Download Full-text

Access to Water and Sanitation Services in Brazilian Vulnerable Areas: The Role of Regulation and Recent Institutional Reform

Water ◽

10.3390/w13060787 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 787 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Daniel Antonio Narzetti ◽

Rui Cunha Marques

Keyword(s):

Universal Access ◽

Institutional Reform ◽

Public Authorities ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Middle Income ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Access To Water ◽

The Impact

Access to water and sanitation services (WSSs) in low- or middle-income countries is constrained by the poverty and vulnerability conditions of the population. In this context, it is urgent to establish public policies for WSSs that will increase the economic access to these services so that they will be more comprehensive and comprise the entire population, ensuring a balance between social and financial objectives. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the provision of WSSs in vulnerable areas and of the difficulty in achieving universal access using Brazil as a case study. The role of regulation in the provision of WSSs in vulnerable areas and the impact of the recent institutional reform that took place last year in that country is discussed. The different experiences analyzed provide interesting lessons that contribute to the improvement of the Brazilian status quo and that, at the same time, can be good practices that can be applied in other countries. One of the main conclusions of this research is related to the contributions that regulation should provide in the universalization of WSSs, mainly when the provision of these services is ruled by a contract. Furthermore, we observed that public authorities have resigned their role in this scope and that they must be more effective and, particularly, more proactive so that universalization can be achieved.

Download Full-text

Advancing environmental public health in Latin America and the Caribbean

Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública ◽

10.26633/rpsp.2021.118 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Marcelo Korc ◽

Fred Hauchman

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Latin America ◽

Health Sector ◽

Well Being ◽

Leadership Role ◽

The Public ◽

Environmental Public Health ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Health And Well Being

This paper highlights the important leadership role of the public health sector, working with other governmental sectors and nongovernmental entities, to advance environmental public health in Latin America and the Caribbean toward the achievement of 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 3: Health and Well-Being. The most pressing current and future environmental public health threats are discussed, followed by a brief review of major historical and current international and regional efforts to address these concerns. The paper concludes with a discussion of three major components of a regional environmental public health agenda that responsible parties can undertake to make significant progress toward ensuring the health and well-being of all people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Download Full-text

Revisiting Raúl Prebisch’s concept of crisis

Latin-american Historical Almanac ◽

10.32608/2305-8773-2020-28-1-145-164 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 145-164

Author(s):

Crespo Maria Victoria ◽

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Turning Point ◽

Import Substitution ◽

Role Of The State ◽

Economic Commission ◽

Neoclassical Economic Theory ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Horizon Of Expectations ◽

Theoretical Proposal

This article offers a review and appraisal of the concept of crisis in the context of the remarkable trajectory and works of argentine economist Raul Prebisch. It argues that the crisis of the 1930s is the foundation of Prebisch’s theoretical proposal on dependency and development in Lat-in America. The crisis of 1929-1930 was the turning point that encour-aged him to revise and reinvent neoclassical economic theory, promote industrialization and import substitution, and, more importantly, to deeply restructure the role of the State in the region. The crisis leads to decision and action, and it implies and orientation towards the future, a new “horizon of expectations.” This horizon throughout the most part of the twentieth century in Latin America was development. The article also puts forward an interpretation of his program at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC/CEPAL), also triggered by the crisis and oriented to the formulation of policies meant to overcome the crisis. Finally, the article shows how through his interactions with CEPAL sociologists, in particular José Medina Echavarría, Prebisch proposes a redefinition of his concept of crisis, shifting from an economic and junctural concept to a structural one: the crisis of peripheral capitalism

Download Full-text