The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) has approved US$185 million in financing for El Salvador to modernize the Guluchapa Drinking Water System in the San Salvador Metropolitan Area. The initiative will be carried out by the Administración Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (ANDA) and aims to strengthen service provision across seven districts.
The Guluchapa system currently serves communities in Soyapango, Ilopango, Santo Tomás, San Marcos, Santiago Texacuangos, Olocuilta and San Francisco Chinameca, spanning the departments of San Salvador and La Paz. According to project details, the investment seeks to enhance service reliability and drinking water quality for households that experience intermittent supply.
The programme encompasses improvements along the entire value chain, from abstraction to distribution. Plans include the construction and rehabilitation of 25 groundwater and surface water intake facilities, as well as the development of a new treatment plant in Joya Grande with a production capacity of 650 litres per second. Pumping and booster stations will also be upgraded and automated using advanced technologies.
Distribution infrastructure will be expanded through the installation of 37.14 kilometres of pipelines and the creation of 25,000 new metered household connections. Seven storage tanks and 7.5 kilometres of power transmission lines are also part of the works. A telemetry and remote-control platform will enable real-time monitoring of flow rates, pressure levels and water quality parameters.
Institutional strengthening measures include refurbishing ANDA’s central water quality laboratory and equipping it with a molecular biology unit for advanced pathogen and contaminant analysis.
More than 156,000 residents will benefit, 52.8% of them women. Production capacity is projected to rise from 525 to 650 litres per second, while service coverage in the target districts is expected to expand from 61.5% to full coverage. The construction phase is anticipated to generate 2,684 temporary jobs.
