Nicaragua's water and sewage system declined terribly during the Sandinista years since no new money was invested in it, and no maintenance was performed on what existed. However, for the last 7 years, nearly 200 million dollars have been invested and a similar amount

This family is not even fortunate enough to have a manual water pump and are washing their clothes in the river. Copyright: Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers

is scheduled for the next 5 years. Not even 90% of the urban population has potable water and less than half of the rural population. And only half of the urbanites have working sewage systems and absolutely none of the rural residents due. This translates into the fact that a huge portion of the people must draw their water to drink, cook, and bathe from rivers and wells and then their waste is left wherever is convenient--obviously there is great need and possibility for improvement.

The Nicaraguan Institute of Water and Sewage Systems (INAA) is in the process of being privatized. It has sought funds from many different organizations and countries for improvement and progress has and is being made. Many major projects simply involve rehabilitating existing treatment, storage, and dispersion facilities. However, projects are also in the works to construct new wells, pumping stations, and tanks in cities that are in dire need. In Managua, INAA wants to install new water meters, replace water pipes, and improve storage--the same is true in many cities around the country. One area that is being paid a lot of attention is the raw sewage which is being pumped into Lake Managua. Therefore, new treatment plants and pumps must be constructed.