San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
The November floods caused by Eta and Iota are a warning and, if no attention is paid, it is possible in the near future they have problems with lack of water.
The warning made by experts and although the city at this time has no supply problems, according to the concessionaire, it is necessary to remember that places that had abundant water today are facing problems.
The industrial capital It is the only city in Honduras with its water service leased for 30 years, of which there are already 21.
March 22 was declared World Water Day by the UN resolution in 1993 and is trying to remember the relevance of this liquid in the life of the planet.
Diana Betancur, civil engineer and environmental sanitation expert, said that in San Pedro Sula the water service covers about 95% of the inhabited area, but unfortunately it is not quality for everyone.
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“The service is measured by the quality, quantity, continuity and coverage of the water. Given the unfairness of the service, many sectors are affected by quality, quantity or frequent failures, “he said.
In comparative terms, we are in a relatively better state than the population of Tegucigalpa, La Ceiba and the rest of the Sula Valley.
“The general population must become aware that without water there is no future, there is no health, well-being and no development. Young people need to be educated based on our reality and the risks facing the municipality due to the poor protection of this vital resource. The effort must to be assumed by all “, he recommended.
Betancur ensures that there are realities that cannot be ignored, such as reducing the area in reserve in 2013, the multiple uncontrolled activities in the area of the El Merendón reservation.
“The city’s rivers receive wastewater and it has a negative impact on ecosystems and affects the human population, animal and plant life downstream,” he explained. Betancur said there is no control over groundwater consumption by private company.
He regretted that in 20 years of concession of water and sanitation services, not even a cubic meter of wastewater is treated, so that the tributaries contaminate the riverbeds until they reach the sea.
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Aguas de San Pedro Public Relations Officer, Dina Bulnes, said they have now invested more than $ 75 million to improve and expand services and more than $ 200,000 to manage drinking water and sewer maintenance in the city, providing 98% coverage in drinking water and 83% in sewage sanitary.
He explained that part of the process of supplying drinking water to the city begins with collecting water and leading it to treatment points, maintaining the distribution network in conditions that guarantee the continuity of service in storage tanks. at the customer’s location, obtaining a product suitable for human consumption to meet with national quality standards.
engineer environmental Lilian Espinoza He explained that it is urgent to stop the deforestation and urbanization permits for the upper basin, where our water comes from; in addition, prevent further illegal settlements.
“We have not been able to apply the law rigorously, to allow a disorderly growth, and the recharge areas must be preserved, because they feed the aquifers and prevent floods, “Espinoza said.
He reiterated that by changing the use of the land from where there was forest to areas with roofs or sidewalks or concrete, we will have more runoff during the rains, which will cause flooding and less water retention to be used. for drinking. He warned that the aftermath of hurricanes they are a warning of what we may be facing.