Project backed by the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean
Honduras will receive a $25 million grant from the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean to expand and improve drinking water and sanitation services in rural communities with fewer than 2,000 people, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) said today. The Honduran government will contribute $2.5 million to the program.
Of the total Honduran population of 8.2 million, some 4.5 million live in rural areas where poverty levels reach 71.6 percent. Investments carried out under this new program will help expand water coverage in rural areas from 77.2 to 79.7 percent. Sanitation coverage will increase from 79.7 to 82.1 percent.
The program, which will be implemented by the state water and sanitation utility SANAA, will provide 13,700 households with new water connections, 15,900 homes with individual sanitation solutions, and 2,200 homes with rehabilitated drinking water systems.
SANAA will build water systems, supply sanitation solutions, rehabilitate existing water systems, and establish chlorine banks. The utility will also carry out pilot projects in sustainable management of water systems, awareness building, and training for community members.
Additional project components include updating the rural water information system, strengthening regulations in rural areas in cooperation with the country’s water and sanitation regulatory office, and promoting the establishment of an association of municipal water boards.
In coordination with AECID, the Spanish agency for international development, the IDB administers the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean to accelerate the expansion of water and sanitation services in the region. They also support governments in their efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals for this sector.
Since 2008 Spain has contributed more than US$500 million, allowing the IDB to leverage US$500 million more for water and sanitation projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. Additional operations are in preparation for Bolivia, Nicaragua, Panama, and Uruguay.