DECENTRALIZATION AND TRANSFERS, A REFORM IN BASIC SANITATION AND DRINKING WATER IN COLOMBIA

Abstract

In Colombia, in 2001 and 2007 constitutional reforms were advanced to the so-called General System of Participations (GSP). Within terms modifies the political charter, the municipalities were assigned the responsibility of guaranteeing the provision of services such as education, health, recreation and sport, and especially in 2007, basic sanitation and drinking water. This document presents a review of the reforms and their impact on the resources allocated, as well as on the results obtained in the provision of basic sanitation and drinking water, in order to assess whether the reforms allowed an improvement in the living conditions of the population. The analysis made allows to conclude that, despite the reform, the allocation of resources to ensure access to aqueduct and sewerage did not change, on the contrary kept the trend, which translates into more competencies for municipalities, but without resources, which is reflected in the behavior of basic sanitation coverage and drinking water. The scarce growth evidenced is a sample that constitutional and legal reforms are not sufficient if they do not go from the resources for the municipalities to adequately fulfill their functions, as well as the measures that allow management schemes that increase the efficiency and effectiveness in the execution of the same.