IDB, CAF channel US$500mn to Latin American water, sanitation

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and CAF channeled over US$500 million (mn) in financing for drinking water and sanitation in Panama, Uruguay, and Argentina in recent months, as part of multibillion-dollar credit lines that both institutions have kept open to strengthen the region's water security. Panama Last week, the IDB approved an operation for US$95mn for Panama's water resources sanitation and protection program, as part of a conditional credit line of up to US$210mn. The program provides for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Caimito wastewater treatment plant and equipment for Two Lines (Stage 1), the rehabilitation of the Amador sanitary sewer system, the design and construction of sanitation in the areas surrounding Condado del Rey, and complementary works for the reuse of products from the Juan Díaz treatment plant. The project will also continue supporting the design and construction of the main collector of the Matansillo River and the project management, technical assistance, and supervision for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the wastewater collection, conveyance, and treatment system for Arraiján Oeste and La Chorrera. Uruguay At the end of August, the Financial Trust Infrastructure Debt Fund in Uruguay V (CAF-AM) granted a loan of up to 874 million UI (approximately US$144mn) and US$34mn to the concessionaire Infraestructura Agua Metropolitana, within the framework of the project to expand the metropolitan system of Obras Sanitarias del Estado (OSE). Infraestructura Agua Metropolitana is a concessionaire made up of Saceem, Berkes and Ciemsa. The CAF-AM loan will be supplemented by an additional credit of up to US$85mn granted directly by CAF. The objective of the project is to strengthen Uruguay's water security by expanding the potable water supply capacity by 200,000 m³ per day for the metropolitan area and surrounding zones. The works include a new water treatment plant, a sludge treatment plant with its final disposal works, and a supply pipeline of more than 50 km. CAF had already approved a US$130 million loan to finance the construction of the Casupá dam, a roller-compacted concrete structure approximately 750m long and 30m high at its maximum, with a reservoir area of 2,127ha. Argentina In June, the executive board of the IDB approved financing of US$150 million to improve drinking water and sanitation services in the Province of Mendoza, as part of a US$1 billion (bn) credit line to enhance water security in Argentina's provinces. Among the main investments planned in the program are the construction of a system for the collection and treatment of effluents in Villa Tulumaya, Lavalle; the rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment plants at Campo Espejo and Paramillo; the expansion and optimization of the Uspallata treatment facility; and the construction of stages II and III of the Colonia Segovia wastewater collector. The program will also strengthen the management and governance of the provincial operator Agua y Saneamiento Mendoza (AySAM).