Environmental monitoring in the sanitation sector in Peru: the case of Ucayalí

Abstract

Peru, like many other countries in the region, is rich in natural resources, but their conservation is affected by various economic activities such as mining, agriculture, industry, forestry and sanitation. It is the latter that is considered one of the main environmental problems affecting the entire country and especially in fragile ecosystems such as the Peruvian jungle – such as the Ucayali region – or the sources of water resources, due to a lack of control and monitoring by the competent entity, that is, by the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation. Indeed, despite the continued action of the ministry referred to in the preceding paragraph, environmental problems persist and in some cases have worsened, as evidenced by the reports prepared by the Environmental Assessment and Oversight Agency, the governing body of the National Environmental Assessment and Oversight System. This is how, within the identified problems that affect the adequate environmental supervision by the competent entity, we have the incorrect environmental planning that negatively impacts the results proposed by the entity, which prevents the contribution or solution of the various environmental problems. Thus, the present work, after analyzing the Sanitation System and the National System of Environmental Evaluation and Supervision, aims to identify the problem that results in insufficient and inadequate environmental supervision by the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, proposing a solution that allows improving its work as a supervisory entity.