| Work Detail |
The progress of the works at the Santa Fe and Granadero Baigorria water treatment plants has been seriously affected by the lack of payments from the national government. While the works in Santa Fe continue at a slow pace, the expansion of the Granadero Baigorria plant has been completely paralyzed. In total, the accumulated debt exceeds $700 million. Slow progress at the Santa Fe water treatment plant Despite the lack of payments since October 2024, the contractor for the new Aguas Santafesinas water treatment plant in Santa Fe decided to continue with the works. According to Leonel Marmiroli, the provincial secretary of Water and Sanitation, the amount owed by the national government exceeds $250 million, corresponding to unpaid certificates between October and January. Although the pace of work has slowed, construction is still underway. Total suspension in Granadero Baigorria In contrast, the expansion of the Granadero Baigorria water treatment plant was suspended. Until August 2024, the national government complied with the planned payments, but since September the financing has been interrupted, accumulating a debt of approximately $450 million. As a result, in January 2025 the contracting company decided to abandon the work, leaving it paralyzed with only 18% progress. Impact of the closure of ENOHSA The situation of both works was aggravated by the closure of the National Entity for Water and Sanitation Works (ENOHSA) in October 2024. Marmiroli explained that these projects depended on the financing and supervision of ENOHSA, and its closure made it difficult to manage payments and the continuity of the works. “The national government assured that the payments would be made in February and that the ENOHSA works would be transferred to the Undersecretariat of Water Policy, but so far the contractors have not received the funds and the work remains stopped,” the official explained. The future of both infrastructures remains uncertain, and their suspension directly affects the supply of drinking water in the region, leaving fundamental improvements to the public sanitation service in Santa Fe and Granadero Baigorria on hold. |
