Mayor: Mariño water service needs US$31mn

Venezuelan municipality Mariño needs some 60bn bolívares (US$31.3mn) to modernize and hand over authority of its water utility to the municipality, newspaper La Hora quoted Mariño mayor Eligio Hernández as saying. First of all, officials need to transfer control of water services to the municipality from regional water utility Hidrocaribe, considering the latter provides deficient service, said Hernández. The mayor proposes creating company "Aguas de Porlamar" to not only provide water, but to replace underground piping that is more than 50 years old, said the report. Mariño is in Sucre state, one of the three states along with Anzoátegui and Nueva Esparta that Hidrocaribe serves. The country's waterworks sector administrator Hidroven controls the utility. Hidrocaribe officials were not available for comment when contacted by BNamericas Monday.