Delegated cooperation in Nicaragua – PISASH

Nicaragua’s Comprehensive Sectoral Program for Water and Human Sanitation (PISASH) has contributed to overcoming the sector’s structural problems and historical deficiencies in service coverage, enabling the expansion of drinking water, sewerage, and wastewater treatment services in 19 cities, as well as improving capacities for the operation, maintenance, and comprehensive management of water resources. The great transformation achieved by PISASH has been possible thanks to the confluence of the efforts of different agencies. Its origin lies in the Water Fund initiative, which, between 2009 and 2019, allocated €60 million in total (divided into three programs: NIC-013-B, NIC-014-B, and NIC-056-M).

During the preparation of these interventions, the need to implement a long-term strategy to solve the problems of operation and coverage and the structural conditions that limited them became apparent. In 2012, the EU joined the initiative with a €50 million grant promoted through its LAIF initiative, that was implemented through AECID.

These resources were later joined by the Spain-Nicaragua Debt Conversion Program (3.79 million), the Nicaraguan government (7.44 million), and other smaller financiers (1.17 million euro). Finally, the budget added new resources from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Government of Nicaragua, and the German Cooperation (GIZ) for a final total budget of 320.9 million euro.

Overall, the program has benefited a total of 575,556 people. Almost all have improved drinking water access, and 243,858 have improved sanitation services. The cities now have facilities designed with the possible population growth for the next four decades in mind.

According to surveys conducted in 11 of the cities surveyed, PISASH is contributing to the well-being of families and has substantially improved the situation of women (more free time for economic activities, perception of greater security due to the availability of toilets in the homes, and participation in the activities carried out). The program has also improved the environment, although it was not explicitly among the objectives. Thus, it has opted for the use of surface sources – as opposed to the traditional exploitation of subway sources, and wastewater is now correctly treated thanks to the construction of 13 new Wastewater Treatment Plants, among them those of the cities of Bilwi (with LAIF funds), or those of Acopaya and Masaya (carried out with FCAS funds). The latter, in particular, has made it possible to divert spills away from the Masaya Volcano National Park lagoon. Overall, it has had an important impact on institutional sustainability regarding the administration and technical operation of water and sanitation services.