San Salvador/ Mar del Plata – At a wastewater treatment plant on the outskirts of El Salvador’s capital San Salvador, technicians introduce new routines learned from Argentine peers. Just months ago, many of the country’s 22 plants were working below capacity, leaving rivers polluted and nearby communities at risk.
That picture is beginning to change thanks to a South-South partnership between Argentina’s Obras Sanitarias Mar del Plata (OSSE) and El Salvador’s Administración Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (ANDA). Initiated under UN-Habitat’s Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) with financial support from the European Union and facilitated by GWOPA’s regional platform in Latin America and the Caribbean (WOP-LAC), the partnership linked the two utilities to exchange expertise in sanitation and digital innovation.
El Salvador treats only 4.6 per cent of its wastewater, one of the lowest rates in Latin America. Effluent discharges have contaminated rivers and threatened the health of vulnerable populations. Through the partnership, 43 sanitation specialists were trained in sanitation, meeting 100 per cent of targets, while 35 IT and other staff members strengthened their skills in cybersecurity, voice over internet protocol, networks and digital documentation.
Two wastewater plants were diagnosed, producing detailed recommendations for improved operation and maintenance. OSSE also introduced telemetry tools and laid the groundwork for SCADA monitoring systems. On the IT side, ANDA cut contract costs by half through data decentralisation and migrated to a new internet protocol telephony system.
“The real value of this partnership is that ANDA now has a clear roadmap,” said Valeria Suárez of WOP-LAC. “Even if not everything could be implemented during the project, the teams know exactly what steps to take to strengthen their plants and services. That knowledge stays with them. It is a concrete achievement that can drive change long after the partnership ends”.
The project also stood out for its inclusivity: women made up 75 per cent of the key specialists. A regional workshop with peers from Brazil, Colombia and Spain further expanded knowledge-sharing on sludge management.
Suárez emphasised the particular strength of South–South cooperation in Latin America: “Utilities here have recently overcome similar challenges, so their experience is fresh and directly relevant. They share the same language and context, which makes the support both practical and immediately applicable”.
Anne Bousquet, Programme Management Officer with GWOPA concluded: “For GWOPA, the OSSE–ANDA collaboration illustrates how peer-to-peer exchange can plant the seeds of long-term improvement. While the partnership concluded earlier than planned, it succeeded in strengthening local capacity, fostering practical learning, and equipping ANDA with tools and knowledge it can continue to apply. The experience highlights the value of South–South cooperation in laying essential groundwork for more sustainable sanitation services across Central America.”
