Phase I Wastewater Management for Environmental Restoration and Water Security in the Bogota River Basin

pipeline

The proposed operation supports the Government of Colombia’s program to restore water quality and strengthen water security in the Bogota River basin through the development of the Canoas Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) under an innovative US$1.8 billion Design-Build-Operate-Transfer concession. The Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) will significantly expand treatment capacity in Bogota and surrounding municipalities for 7.3 million direct beneficiaries (or 14 percent of Colombia's population). The MPA constitutes a robust One WBG platform—integrating IBRD financing, an IFC corporate loan, and the mobilization of over US$1.13 billion in private capital. The first phase of the MPA will support EAAB’s modernization plan by strengthening its overall management and technical capacity, and by introducing innovations in water and wastewater management, like the review of regulatory and institutional frameworks to enable scalability of wastewater reuse practices to enhance climate resilience and water security. It will also finance the initial years of the Canoas WWTP construction under the concession contract. The project will improve pollution control and contribute to basin-wide water security, more efficient resource use, and long-term environmental restoration objectives.