Access to safe drinking water in the El Angel settlement in Huaral (Peru)

The project is an extension of the intervention carried out since 2019 (with support from Ferrovial) in the settlements located in the Huaral district, north of Lima, for improving access to drinking water for the vulnerable population that doesn’t not have basic quality services. Project executed in 2021.

The objective is to improve the infrastructure, catchment, and supply, as well as the management and use of water for 432 families that are members of the Water Users Board (JASS) living in El Angel-Makaton (or El Angel). The project is part of the local urban development policies aimed at improving living conditions in the district.

Project background

The El Ángel settlement is next to the Nuevo Huaral and Volcán Dormido settlements and is close to Contigo Perú, a water supply project supported by Ferrovial.

The inhabitants are migrants from rural areas and low socio-economic backgrounds; 12% have no education, and 48% are men and 52% are women. Before the pandemic, 48% of the population was economically active, but after COVID-19 and losing work, almost the entire population has gone on to work as laborers in the fields or in the informal economy. Before the pandemic, respiratory, oral (dental), and infectious intestinal diseases were the most common ailments due to the lack or deficiency of good-quality water.

Only 30% of homes are made from brick and concrete. The access roads are largely unpaved. Some 70% of homes have electricity; service for drinking water is irregular, with deficiencies throughout the grid. The water service administration is run by the Water Users Board (JASS).

The following major problems have been identified: poor supply infrastructure (60% traditional or non-existent network). Lack of water meters. Household systems in poor condition. JASS’s lack of knowledge for administration and management of the supply and provision system.

The intervention

The project’s general objective is to improve access to basic quality services in the settlement in the peri-urban areas of Lima’s Huaral district, and more specifically to improve access to drinking water in the El Ángel settlement in the Huaral district, thanks to improvements in the collection and supply infrastructure, as well as the population’s management and use.

This includes renovation of the supply network in Sector I, as well as the purchase and installation of equipment for the network drive system and the reconstruction of the drinking water distribution system in Sectors I and II.

For the project to succeed, guaranteeing the maintenance and management services of the water supply system is essential; to this end, the Water Users Board will receive training.

About CODESPA

CODESPA is a Non-Governmental Organization for Development (NGOD) with 35 years of experience. It is made up of a group of professionals and experts from different disciplines who are committed to the integral development of the poorest among us. The Honorary Chair is His Majesty the King, Don Felipe VI. CODESPA has managed nearly 800 projects in 33 countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It has contributed to improving the living conditions of millions of people. In Peru, CODESPA has implemented more than 50 projects since 2000.