Source - Latin America and the Caribbean
Haiti: study suggests UN force source of cholera strain that killed 5,500 people
15 Jul 11
Evidence "strongly suggests" that a United Nations peacekeeping mission brought a cholera strain to Haiti that has killed thousands of people, a study by a team of epidemiologists and physicians says.
Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation launches new web site
15 Jul 11
he Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID, has launched a new website for its Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation, a financing instrument that supports water and sanitation initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Haiti: UN panel reports on source of cholera outbreak
18 May 11
The October 2010 cholera outbreak that has killed 4,888 people in Haiti was caused by a strain “very similar but not identical” to current South Asian strains, a UN independent panel of experts said. The outbreak was the result of a "confluence of circumstances" including “simultaneous water and sanitation and health-care system deficiencies”.
Mexico: safe use of wastewater in agriculture offers multiple benefits
24 Sep 10
Recycling urban wastewater and using it to grow food crops can help mitigate water scarcity problems and reduce water pollution, but the practice is not being as widely implemented as it should, according to a new UN food and agriculture organization (FAO) report.
Peru: wells sucked dry by British love of asparagus
24 Sep 10
A study, by the development charity Progressio, has found that industrial production of asparagus in Peru’s Ica valley is depleting the area’s water resources so fast that smaller farmers and local families are finding wells running dry.
Uruguay: drinking water for 355 rural schools and villages
22 Sep 10
A US$ 6.85 million grant agreement was signed for a four-year programme that will improve water and sanitation at 355 rural schools, improving access to water for 24,000 people, in the presence of singer Jorge Drexler, President José Mujica and Spanish ambassador Aurora Díaz-Rato.
Costa Rica: Congress reaches broad consensus on water bill
01 Sep 10
Six of the seven political factions in Costa Rica’s congress have reached a consensus on a new water bill, which aims to protect the country’s water resources and make access to potable water a constitutionally protected right.
Peru: baseline data to guide handwashing intervention
01 Sep 10
A new WSP study found that only half of caregivers in 3,526 households in rural Peru wash hands with soap at times of fecal contact, and that 10 per cent of children under five presented diarrhoea symptoms in the previous 48 hours – although on average 55 per cent of caregivers did not seek medical advice.
Central America: SWASH+ program expands to 150 more schools
01 Sep 10
With new funds from the Inter-American Development Bank and The Coca-Cola Foundation, the SWASH+ program will provide safe drinking water, restroom facilities, and improved hygiene education to over 15,000 more students at 150 schools in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.
Ecuador: Interagua launches consultancy tender for US$ 120 million wastewater project
21 Jul 10
Ecuadorian city Guayaquil's private water utility Interagua launched an international tender to carry out feasibility studies for a US$120mn wastewater treatment project.
