The extensive heat season in the national territory has caused greater consumption of piped water, especially in the urban area. However, this situation has also caused a decrease in the flow of some treatment plants that are in charge of the municipal water company (Pagua), including Coy and the Cambray, which are of the main ones to provide service to several areas of the capital.
Given this situation, the Municipality of Guatemala, through Pagua, hopes that in the shortest possible time four water pretreatment plants of some rivers that are in the periphery of the capital, specifically in the north, with the aim of improving the distribution of the vital liquid and reaching greater coverage in the metropolitan area can be implemented.
As explained by Álvaro Hugo Rodas, Pagua manager, the financing for the authorization of these four water pretreatment plants comes from a loan of US $ 28 million that will be financed by the World Bank.
Regarding the location of these plants, Rodas reported that they will be located at several points: the end of Avenida Azcapié, the San Antonio area in zone 6, San José Pinula and Canalitos.
Plant rehabilitation
He also assured that with the funds from this loan with the World Bank, the Brigade plant will be rehabilitated, located in Mixco and has been without operation for 20 years, and the plant known as Ojo de Agua, the largest for the treatment of groundwater.
The Paguagua manager said that the works for the construction of the four water pretreating plants from rivers, as well as for the rehabilitation of the two mentioned plants, begin in the second half of this year or, at the latest, at the beginning of 2026.
Related readings
Related readings
Environment conservation and pollution reduction
The main objective of the construction of these water pretreatment plants is not only the distribution and supply of water in the metropolitan area, since the preservation of the environment is also sought, as well as the reduction of the contamination of the waters, Rodas said.
He commented that there are currently several wastewater treatment plants located in different areas of the capital, in which the most recent methods for treatment are applied.
With the implementation of the new four pretreatment plants and the rehabilitation of two more floors, it is expected to better attend the service and distribution of water for the inhabitants of the entire capital and surrounding municipalities that receive the service from Pagua, said the company’s manager.
Related readings
Water treatment
Currently, Pagua provides the piped water service for the entire capital, as well as for the surrounding areas of the municipalities of Chinautla, Mixco and Villa Nueva.
The treatment plants currently have Coy, Cambray, Santa Luisa and Illusions, which are the main ones for the distribution of the service in the capital. In addition, several wastewater treatment plants located in various areas are available.
According to information provided by Pagua, the water treatment process entails several steps with the aim of eliminating impurities, bacteria, viruses, waste and other polluting elements.
Among the processes used for water treatment, sedimentation, disinfection and filtration are included, implemented in each of the treatment and distribution plants, as well as those of treatment, for which there are modern equipment and systems.
All these procedures allow the purification of the vital liquid, thus guaranteeing that the water distributed throughout the capital and surrounding areas is free of any pollution or diseases that can be transmitted by contaminated water and represent a risk to public health.
Related readings
Related readings
What does a wastewater pretreatment plant?
Water pretreatment plants perform the water decontamination procedure by means of several steps that allow liquid purification. This seeks to eliminate solid water waste, as well as apply biochemical processes to eliminate other types of contaminants.
Water pretreatment procedures are divided into several stages, being these:
- RESPART: It is the procedure by which the largest waste is eliminated with the help of a sieve. The sieve is a mesh, grid or similar, which is used for the separation of particles from different sizes.
- Disabled and degreased: in these stages the procedure consists in eliminating fat by flotation, as well as solids.
- After these stages, water treatment is performed through biological systems, with the aim of ensuring that water is free of any impurity.
What does a drinking water treatment plant do?
This process is very different from the treatment that is done in a drinking water treatment plant, since in this type of plants the purification of water from rivers, lakes or other tributaries is carried out with the aim of making it safe for the consumption and use of human.
In a drinking water treatment plant all microorganisms, pollutants or sediments that water from natural sources could contain can be eliminated.
For water to be potable and suitable for human consumption, several procedures such as the elimination of objects, disinfection and addition of chemicals are carried out to facilitate particle sedimentation.
Sedimentation: In this procedure particles or sediments are separated from water, for which large containers or tanks are used to carry out this procedure.
Filtration: More sediments are removed by filtration and the sand water or other materials that could contaminate the water is also cleaned.
Disinfection: In this phase the placement of chemicals such as chlorine or ozone that are used to eliminate bacteria, viruses and other organism or microorganisms that can contain water.
All these procedures are carried out before the storage and distribution of the vital liquid that is finally stored and distributed by means of the network for all users and the different distribution areas.