Building quality infrastructure services for water and sanitation providers in Latin America - Examples from German development cooperation

Abstract

The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) implements development cooperation projects in the area of quality infrastructure on behalf of the German government. In Latin America, it is currently cooperating with institutions in three countries - Peru, Bolivia and Nicaragua - in the field of water and sanitation. These three countries still face important challenges in water and sanitation provision in terms of service coverage, institutional development and enforcement of sector regulations. Furthermore, most service providers are not able to ensure the accuracy of quantity measurements or the reliability of water quality analysis. PTBs experience has proven that before project intervention water and sanitation is usually not in the focus of QI bodies. Even though some services or standards exist, they generally lack of direct interaction with the sector. Nonetheless, an example of project work in Bolivia shows that it is possible to bring the sector and QI bodies closer, through the development of specific services. Proof of success is the continuity of water utilities participating in annual proficiency tests and also the number of laboratories of water utilities being part of a sector accreditation program. The example from Peru, on the other hand, shows how the introduction of a new regulation for the control of the quality of industrial and commercial waste water released into the sewage system can be a driving force to bring QI bodies and the regulating institutions to work together.