Luisa Eyzaguirre: Minister must reconsider appointment of Sedapal’s chairman of the board

You can see the interview at the following link: Luisa Eyzaguirre, general secretary of the Sutesal in LR+ Economía. (It aired on Friday, February 10, 2023).

—Is the drinking water service for Lima and Callao insured?

—The water supply depends a lot on the rains and, currently, there is a drought in the central highlands; And, although we now use our reserves from underground wells and those stored in the pools in the central highlands, we need the rains to avoid problems later on. You have to remember that Lime It is the first major city in the world, located on a desert and does not have a sufficient amount of water.

—Not only inputs and rain are important, there must also be good management. As workers, what do you know about the company’s results in 2022?

—Its been a good year. sedapal had a record of 403 million soles in profits and all goals were met in terms of works, even surpassing 124% —emphasizing that it is the only entity at the national level that has complied with that level of execution in the budget—.

—It is important that a state company has more than S/400 million profits. What do you consider it? What went right?

—The board of directors, chaired by Augusto Eguiguren Praeli, managed quite efficiently, not only in terms of profits, but was also able to unlock projects, such as the Huascacocha reserve in Junin, where there was a conflict of more than five years with the community; and, through dialogue, it was possible to overcome, which makes it possible to ensure the drinking water service for Lima and Callao in the next years. In addition, it was possible to execute important projects such as the Scheme 300 of La Rinconada, in Villa Maria del Triunfo (will supply more than 450,000 people), and others in cieneguilla, carabayllo and Villa El Salvador. Unfortunately, on January 31, they named Mr. Héctor Piscoya Vera as the new president of the board of directors, and his first action was to cancel a project that was going to benefit 148,000 families in My Peru and Window.

—So, there are people who do not have the service and with this type of decision, this right is hindered. Have you spoken about it?

—There is an affectation to the population when the go-ahead for the work had already been given in January. The previous administration had declared that the resources for this work did exist, but the new board of directors arrived and said no. This double discourse affects the image of sedapal and harms the population, to which, as workers, we apologize. We have submitted to the Ministry of Housing and Congress documents that support the feasibility of the work.

—How do you explain that they replace a person who has had efficient management and has put the accounts in blue?

—It is something we do not understand. We and unaffiliated workers address a memorial to the Minister of Housing, Hania Pérez de Cuéllar, supporting the successful management of Eguiguren Praelli in 2022. Resident organizations also joined the support, so it is not explained why they were not He renewed confidence despite the fact that the minister said that the management of the officials would be evaluated – and she highlighted two of Sedapal’s works. We call on the lady Perez de Cuellar to reconsider this appointment and take into account that there are professionals and technicians with sufficient skills to run the company.

—Who is Hector Piscoya? What was his previous work at Sedapal?

—He was general manager five years ago, and he had serious questions. As in other institutions where he has worked, his work did not transcend or achieve anything in closing gaps.

—What is the attitude of the workers towards him?

—Of great concern. In his recent presentation before the Congressional Housing Commission, he had no way of justifying the cancellation of the Ventanilla project. First: saying that there was no money, that there was no borrowing capacity, when that has been done, as in the case of La Rinconada, since we have an excellent rating; and, since they are connections that are going to be installed, there will be a return of the money for the billing.

—How many places need water and sewage installation?

—The workers are concerned that the Government does not fulfill the commitments of the year 2021, of the closing of gaps. Currently, there are 750,000 people without water and a higher percentage without sewage —this increases with migration to Lima. We cannot continue to have people who do not have access to quality public services. A problem with the installation of services is that many times, due to the very need for a place to live, people settle in places that are really inaccessible to carry out works.

—Is there a water awareness campaign missing?

—Exactly, the population must understand the importance of saving water, since, I reiterate, we live in a desert. On the other hand, there is a lack of democratization of access to water to better manage this resource. There are districts like Groove, miraflores, San Isidro either La Molina where its population consumes between 40 to 45 cubic meters of water; and, in others, with the jousts it reaches 7 m³. We must look for a more equitable distribution and, in addition, put an end to clandestine water consumption, where there is 20% of water that is not billed.

—How did you take the statements of the mayor of Lima, who questioned the Sedapal service?

—He mayor of lima was wrong in his perception of sedapal: it is not that green water is producede, the company has (the) international ISOs and many filters that ensure its quality. The problem can arise in the place where the water is going to be deposited, where, due to lack of maintenance, there are fungi that are going to generate water that is not suitable for consumption. Perhaps his lack of knowledge about water management led him to make these types of statements. But, already as mayor, he has visited the company a couple of times, which should allow him another vision of the service we provide.