Aguas urbanas en Uruguay: avances y desafíos hacia una gestión integrada

This report examines the current state of urban water management in Uruguay, highlighting the transition toward an integrated approach that combines water, environment, and territory. While the country is near universal access to drinking water, it faces ongoing challenges in wastewater treatment, stormwater drainage, and flood risk management.

• Uruguay is nearing universal access to drinking water through its sole public operator, OSE, but must still address water source protection, coverage for small rural housing clusters, and the reduction of water losses.
• Despite high sanitation coverage, the country needs to increase sewage service coverage, wastewater treatment, and home connections, while exploring alternative systems for hard-to-reach areas.
• Urban drainage issues affect over 60 population centers, with 70% of cases classified as medium or severe. Additionally, floods are the primary trigger for the National Emergency System, necessitating the integration of risk maps into local plans and improved monitoring and alert systems.
• The regulatory framework is moving toward integrating water, environment, and territory, supported by a reform of Article 47 of the Constitution which defines environmental protection as a general interest and access to drinking water and sanitation as fundamental human rights, though implementation remains partial.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Aguas urbanas en Uruguay: avances y desafíos hacia una gestión integrada. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/aguas-urbanas-en-uruguay-avances-y-desafios-hacia-una-gestion-integrada/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Aguas urbanas en Uruguay: avances y desafíos hacia una gestión integrada. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/aguas-urbanas-en-uruguay-avances-y-desafios-hacia-una-gestion-integrada/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Aguas urbanas en Uruguay: avances y desafíos hacia una gestión integrada |date=15 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/aguas-urbanas-en-uruguay-avances-y-desafios-hacia-una-gestion-integrada/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025aguas, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Aguas urbanas en Uruguay: avances y desafíos hacia una gestión integrada}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/aguas-urbanas-en-uruguay-avances-y-desafios-hacia-una-gestion-integrada/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }