El trabajo del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo en el campo de agua potable y alcantarillado en América Latina

Abstract

Until very recently the commonly held opinion in Latin America was that the financing of water supply and sewage disposal systems was solely the responsibility of Governments. The rates the consumer paid for the service had no relation to the capital needed for the construction and maintenance of the systems. Since their financial basis was not very sound, it was difficult to obtain credits for financing the construction and extension of the systems. On the other hand, the rapid population increase and its concentration in cities made water supply and sewage disposal a problem which called for immediate attention. The Charter of Punta del Este established as one of the objectives of the Alliance for Progress that at least 70 percent of the urban population and 50 percent of the rural population should be supplied with drinking water, in the decade. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) developed its activities in this respect in close collaboration with national authorities and with other international agencies. Mention is made of the close coordination between the Inter-American Development Bank and the Pan American Sanitary Bureau in this field, as well as of the slow change of attitude of Latin American communities and institutions faced with the problem. The IDB has awarded 60 loans - 46 for urban projects and 14 for the rural projects - in an amount of US$243,562,296