Gestión y tratamiento de agua | Water management and treatment La Asociación Latinoamericana de Desalación y Reúso de Agua (ALADYR) estableció contacto con distintos sectores que hacen vida en Ecuador para dibujar el panorama de infraestructura y oportunidades de inversión en materia de agua potable y saneamiento. Las imágenes más dantescas de la región latinoamericana sobre la actual pandemia provienen de Ecuador. Específicamente en Guayaquil parecen reproducirse los óleos que plasmaron para la posteridad el terror que ocasionó la peste negra del siglo XIV. Esta lamentable situación abre el debate y pone en tela de juicio el sentido de prioridad de las autoridades gubernamentales no sólo de Ecuador sino de todo el mundo. También cabe preguntarse como sociedades “qué demandas se han hecho para preservar la salud y reforzar las barreras ante las amenazas microbiológicas que acechan a la civilización contemporánea”. Hay quienes creen que luego de superar el temporal habrá una tendencia de inversión para adaptar a los sistemas de salud pública ante posteriores crisis sanitarias. No obstante, estas medidas reactivas son insuficientes si no se trabaja en lo preventivo como el tratamiento de aguas residuales, debido a que entrañan un riesgo de enfermedades causadas por virus, bacterias y parásitos. Según la Secretaría Nacional del Agua Potable y Saneamiento (Senagua), ente regulador del servicio en Ecuador, el país trata 55.8% de sus residuos cloacales recolectados a través de la red de alcantarillado que canalizan aproximadamente el 70% de los efluentes generados a partir del consumo humano. El indicador de saneamiento del Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) se compone de tres elementos: las instalaciones adecuadas de eliminación de excretas, el uso exclusivo del servicio higiénico por parte del hogar y el tratamiento adecuado de aguas residuales. De acuerdo al más reciente informe de la Estrategia Nacional de Agua y Saneamiento (ENAS-2017), este último componente es un desafío para la medición independiente, ya que tal información no The Latin American Association of Desalination andWater Reuse (ALADYR) has established contact with different sectors operating in Ecuador in order to obtain an overview of the infrastructure scenario and investment opportunities in the area of drinking water and sanitation. The most horrific images of the current pandemic in Latin America have come from Ecuador. The waves of terror caused by the Black Death in the 14th century seem to have been reborn, particularly in Guayaquil. This lamentable situation opens a debate and brings into question the priorities of governmental authorities, not only in Ecuador, but worldwide. Societies must also be questioned regarding the “efforts they have made to safeguard health and reinforce the barriers against the microbiological threats that endanger modern civilisation”. There are those who believe that once the current threat has passed, there will be a tendency to invest in public health systems to prepare them for future health crises. However, such reactive measures are insufficient if preventive efforts are not made in the area of wastewater treatment, because of the risk of disease associated with viruses, bacteria and parasites in wastewater. According to the National Water Secretariat (Senagua), which regulates drinking water and sanitation services in Ecuador, the country treats 55.8% of its wastewater through the sewerage network, which channels around 70% of effluents generated by humans. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) sanitation indicator comprises three elements: adequate facilities for the disposal of excreta; non-shared or exclusive use of sanitation facilities by households, and adequate wastewater treatment. According to the latest NationalWater and Sanitation Strategy (ENAS-2017) report, the third element is a challenge requiring independent measurement because this information is not covered by household surveys or censuses and must be addressed using other sources of information, such as administrative registers or by requesting information from service providers. Another of the objectives of the SDG is to eliminate open defecation. This problem affects 13% of the world population and 3% of the Latin American population. The figure for Ecuador is 1.8%, with particularly high rates in the Amazon region (14%). The report acknowledges that the shortfall in sanitation is “significant”, in both rural and urban areas, and that there is a general lack of progress in urban sewage infrastructure coverage, with the exception of large municipalities in the Costa region. In addition to this, small municipalities in the Costa region are still trying to recover the infrastructure ECUADOR TRABAJA EN GENERAR CONFIANZA PARA APP Ecuador tiene importantes brechas de infraestructura en materia de agua potable y saneamiento que implican oportunidades para el sector. Las autoridades responsables lo reconocen y saben que la clave está generar las condiciones para las Asociaciones Público Privada. El país busca financiamiento para PTARs de hasta USD 900 millones. ECUADOR WORKING TO GENERATE CONFIDENCE IN PPP MODEL Ecuador has significant drinkingwater and sanitation infrastructure shortfalls, which means that there are opportunities for the sector. The competent authorities acknowledge this fact and are aware that the key is to create favourable conditions for Public-Private partnership (PPP). The country seeks financing of up to USD 900 million forWWTPs. PTAR de Quitumbe inaugurada en 2017 manifiesta la voluntad de avanzar en metas nacionales de tratamiento The Quitumbe WWTP, inaugurated in 2017, indicates the desire to progress towards meeting national treatment targets. FuturEnviro | Abril/Mayo April/May 2020 www.futurenviro.es 61
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