Switzerland to invest US$136mn in CentAm water, sanitation projects

The Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) said it will invest US$136mn in water and sanitation projects in Central America from 2018-21.

Some US$60mn, about 40% of the total, will be invested in Nicaragua, SDC regional director Edita Vokral announced during a press conference in capital Managua.

Nicaragua's funds are due to be disbursed in four annual US$15mn installments.

The money, she said, will be used to support projects that promote sustainable water use, such as those focused on replenishing water sources, protecting water basins, implementing water-harvesting systems and executing risk prevention projects, local press reported.

She cited as an example the projects that SDC has carried out in Nicaragua's Dipilto basin, which are focused on improving water-harvesting techniques.

One of the biggest challenges facing the region is adapting to climate change, Vokral said.

SDC has been active in Central America for more than 35 years and since 1981 the agency has invested US$65mn in water and sanitation projects in Nicaragua, benefiting more than 360,000 people.

Vokral said the agency is now shifting its focus in terms of regional water and sanitation aid.

"At the beginning, we were talking about installing latrines or bringing clean drinking water to poor communities," Vokral is quoted as saying by local outlet Diario Metro.

"Nowadays, we are talking about building a more sustainable model, which includes bringing potable water to schools and homes; promoting responsible water consumption; construction of sanitary sewage and water treatment plants; as well as strengthening the capacity of municipal water and sanitation operators in order to promote an active and responsible population."