Summaries of Feasibility Studies for Wastewater Treatment Demonstration Projects in Chile (in English and Spanish). Water and Sanitation for Health (WASH) Reprint: Field Report No. 405.

摘要

In Chile, lakes, groundwater, and marine water have been extensively contaminated by raw municipal and industrial wastewater. Many large-scale projects, funded by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, have been undertaken in the principle urban and industrial centers to manage this problem. Potable water is available almost universally in Chile. The Government of Chile has effectively managed the provision of potable water to communities of all sizes and types, achieving a national coverage of 98.2 percent. Little is being done in the area of wastewater treatment, however, especially in small communities, due to the scarcity of resources and limited budgets manifested by the current economic model in effect in the country. To address this problem, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is examining the private sector's willingness to resolve the problem of wastewater pollution in these communities. In addition to being technically feasible, it is hoped that the demonstration projects will prove to be economically, socially, environmentally and financially feasible as well. The localities selected for this endeavor are Calama in the north, Curacavi in the central zone, and Panguipulli in the south.