Tegucigalpa readies water services transfer proposal

The Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa will submit a proposal to water authority Sanaa this week to create a municipal water unit, local newspaper La Tribuna reported.

The proposal is aimed at complying with the 2003 water and sanitation law that calls for the transfer of water management in Honduras to municipalities. The capital is the only city where Sanaa has yet to transfer management, mainly due to the high cost of paying severance to hundreds of the water authority's employees.

Under the proposal, the new water unit would be headed by specialized technicians and operated as a public entity.

To ensure that the transfer is made in a transparent manner, the process will be overseen by the Tegucigalpa chamber of commerce and industry (CCIT), the chamber of construction, the association of civil engineers of Honduras (CICH), the Amitigra foundation, the national anti-corruption council (CNA) and other organizations.

According to the president of the municipal water commission, Rafael Barahona, over 40% of people in Honduras do not have sewerage services.