Bolivia represents well the evolution of the Water Fund and its reach. The first stage, between 2010 and 2018, focused on actions to expand coverage in rural areas and small or medium-sized cities, always with a focus on integrated water resources management and with an important component of promoting capacity building of public actors.
Currently, the institutional dialogue and the trust generated have made it possible to open additional lines of action to strengthen the sector as a whole and to support the development of public policies. The new programmes are more focused on governance and on guaranteeing the sustainability and quality of services in peri-urban areas. In each line of work, an integrated water resources management approach is provided through the integration of the environmental component, drought management and urban drainage in the planning of the country’s main operators. Consistent with the gap in terms of sanitation needs, improving wastewater treatment is another priority, with support for the implementation of a centre for experimental treatment solutions, the International Centre for Research and Development of Wastewater in the Altiplano – CIIDAR.
Furthermore, it is a good example of how the Fund is committed to promoting the coordination of actors and coordinating large combined operations between different instruments from an initial FCAS grant in order to maximise impact for the benefit of the Bolivian population.
The overall programme aims to achieve the objective of supporting interventions for the extension and improvement of water and sanitation services in urban areas with more than 2,000 inhabitants, with a focus on interventions to mitigate potential water supply crises caused by droughts. The specific objective of the EU-funded action is to improve water resources management in urban areas by increasing and improving access to sanitation services. The objective of the FCAS contribution is the development of tools and instruments to ensure water security and the supply of drinking water to populations.
