Editing Bolivia (section)

=== Water supply and sanitation ===
{{Main|Water supply and sanitation in Bolivia}}
Bolivia's drinking water and [[sanitation]] coverage has greatly improved since 1990 due to a considerable increase in sectoral investment. However, the country has the continent's lowest coverage levels and services are of low quality. Political and institutional instability have contributed to the weakening of the sector's institutions at the national and local levels.

Two concessions to foreign private companies in two of the three largest cities – [[Cochabamba]] and [[La Paz]]/[[El Alto]] – were prematurely ended in 2000 and 2006 respectively. The country's second largest city, [[Santa Cruz de la Sierra]], manages its own water and sanitation system relatively successfully by way of cooperatives. The government of [[Evo Morales]] intends to strengthen citizen participation within the sector. Increasing coverage requires a substantial increase of investment financing.

According to the government the main problems in the sector are low access to sanitation throughout the country; low access to water in rural areas; insufficient and ineffective investments; a low visibility of community service providers; a lack of respect of indigenous customs; "technical and institutional difficulties in the design and implementation of projects"; a lack of capacity to operate and maintain infrastructure; an institutional framework that is "not consistent with the political change in the country"; "ambiguities in the social participation schemes"; a reduction in the quantity and 
quality of water due to climate change; pollution and a lack of integrated water resources management; and the lack of policies and programs for the reuse of wastewater.<ref name="PNSB">Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia:[http://www.mmaya.gob.bo/documentos/pnsb_final.pdf Plan Nacional de Saneamiento Basico 2008–2015] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228092846/http://www.mmaya.gob.bo/documentos/pnsb_final.pdf |date=28 February 2013}}, retrieved on 30 September 2010</ref>

Only 27% of the population has access to [[improved sanitation]], 80 to 88% has access to [[improved water source]]s. Coverage in urban areas is bigger than in rural ones.<ref name="JMP">[http://www.wssinfo.org/about-the-jmp/introduction/ JMP 2010 Estimates for Bolivia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110110338/http://www.wssinfo.org/about-the-jmp/introduction/ |date=10 November 2010}}. The estimates are based on the Household Survey (2005), the Bolivia Democratic and Health Survey (2008) and other surveys.</ref>