Legislative powers given to the Executive would encourage water privatization

A few days ago, Congress approved the request for legislative powers requested by the Executive Branch so that, in a period of 90 days, the fight against citizen insecurity and disaster management – taking into account the threat of El Niño – can be intensified.

However, within the document the green light was given to modify legislative decree 1280 – which approves the Framework Law for the Management and Provision of Sanitation Services – with the aim of strengthening the powers and functions of the entities in the sector at the national level.

According to the document, the service and institutional capacities of the entities that provide this service would be enhanced; although they also detail that The marketing of products generated by the sanitation activity will be promoted and incentivized and it will allow the use of its infrastructure to provide this public service and regulate its market by establishing powers, functions and incentives so that more providing agents join.

Sigrid Bazanparliamentarian for Democratic Change – Together for Peru, warned that these powers to the Executive give rise to the privatization of services such as water.

“It seems incomprehensible to me that they seek to privatize services, which are rights, such as water. This order says that intermediary companies be created so that they can buy the water produced by the public company and then sell it. We are weakening what should be more than a service, a right for Peruvians”, he said in plenary.

MVCS: privatization of Sedapal is viable

Hania Pérez de Cuellarhead of the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation (MVCS), recognized at the beginning of August that The privatization of Sedapal “is viable” because “we are definitely not going to cover the infrastructure gap with financing from public funds.”

“The financing and infrastructure system to close water and sanitation gaps in Peru has failed (…). We have to find new ways to finance and execute works that allow us to close these gaps and work with the EPS (Sanitation Service Provider Entities,” he noted in RPP.

It is worth adding that the MVCS installed a Multisector Commission for 120 days where the problems it faces will be identified. Sedapal to provide water service in Lima and Callao.

Groups like the National Federation of Drinking Water and Sewage Workers of Peru (Fentap) They expressed their rejection of the inclusion of private companies in infrastructure and production of drinking water; and, on the contrary, they demand that Sedapal be strengthened, which despite regulated restrictions, continued to outsource its workers in essential activities or failed to intervene in cases of corruption in some EPS.