Despite government efforts, many rural communities in Loreto,
are still lack access to drinking water and sanitation, says Lawyer Claudio Pinedo Macedo, spokesman for Peru’s Superintendencia Nacional de Servicios de Saneamiento (Sunass). Through the Amazonía Rural programme, some of these communities are receiving alternative systems, such as family modules to collect rainwater. However, it is up to the communities to identify needs and manage projects to improve access to these basic services.Claudio Pinedo Macedo stressed that the lack of safe water has a direct impact on the health and education of the population, especially children, who suffer from stomach diseases and parasites due to the lack of drinking water. He also pointed out that the political will of the authorities is the key to solving this situation and improving the well-being indices, which currently place Loreto among the regions with the worst education and health indicators.