San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
The November floods caused by Eta and Iota are a warning and if not paid attention we can do so in the near future have problems with water shortage.
The warning from experts and while the city has no supply problems at the moment, according to the concessionaire, it is necessary to remember that places with a lot of water are facing problems these days.
The industrial capital It is the only city in Honduras whose water service has been concessioned for 30 years, of which there are already 21.
Declared World Water Day by UN resolution in 1993, March 22 seeks to remember the relevance of this fluid in the life of the planet.
Diana Betancur, civil engineer and environmental remediation expert, said that in San Pedro Sula, the water service covers about 95% of the inhabited area, but unfortunately that is not the case. quality for everyone.
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“The service is measured by the quality, quantity, continuity and coverage of water. Given the disparity of the service, different sectors are affected by quality and quantity problems or frequent failures, ”he said.
In comparative terms, we are in relatively better shape than the people of Tegucigalpa, La Ceiba and the rest of the Sula Valley.
“The general population must become aware that without water there is no future, no health, no well-being and no development. Young people must be educated according to our reality and the risks facing the municipality as a result of the weak protection of this vital resource. The effort must are adopted by everyone, ”he recommended.
Betancur ensures that there are realities that cannot be ignored, such as area reduction in reserve in 2013, the many uncontrolled activities in the El Merendón reserve area.
“The city’s rivers receive wastewater, and it negatively impacts ecosystems and affects populations of humans, animals and plants downstream,” he explained. Betancur said there is no control over groundwater consumption by the private company.
He regretted that in 20 years of water and sanitation concession, not even a cubic meter of wastewater is treated, so the tributaries pollute the riverbeds until they reach the sea.
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Aguas de San Pedro’s public relations officer, Dina Bulnes, said they have currently invested more than $ 75 million in improving and expanding services and more than $ 200,000 in maintenance management of the city’s drinking water and sewage systems, representing 98% coverage in drinking water and 83% in plumbing sewer.
He explained that part of the process of supplying drinking water to the city starts with the collection of water and conduction to the treatment sites, maintaining the distribution network under the conditions that ensure continuity of service from the storage tanks. to the location of the customer, obtaining a product that is fit for human consumption that complies with with national quality standards.
The mechanic environment Lilian Espinoza He explained that there is an urgent need to end deforestation and urbanization permits for the upper basin, where our water comes from; also prevent more illegal settlements.
“We have failed to apply the law rigorously, allow disordered growth, and recharge zones must be maintained as they feed and prevent aquifers floods, ”said Espinoza.
He reiterated that by changing the use of land that used to be forest to areas with roofs, sidewalks or concrete, we will have more runoff during the rain, which will lead to flooding and less water retention for drinking. He warned of the aftermath of the hurricanes they are a warning of what we may encounter.