Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions
Conference Track: Society
& Technology
Selection1:
Paper
Language:
English
Keywords:
Water, Wastewater, Sanitation, Socioeconomic indicators, Honduras
Contact Title: Dr.
Contact First Name: Daniel
Contact Last Name: Meeroff
University:
Florida Atlantic University
Web:
www.prende.org
Position:
Assistant Professor
Country:
USA
Email:
dmeeroff@civil.fau.edu
Paper Title:
Abstract:
Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a basic human
necessity, but such access appears to be highly variable in the developing
countries of Central America and the Caribbean. In this study, access to
these basic needs was evaluated with respect to socioeconomic factors. The
study site chosen for this investigation was San Pedro Sula, Honduras (SPS),
a large industrial city that is not the capital of its country, which is
unique in Central America. It is believed that lessons learned from a
detailed study of SPS will be invaluable in promoting transitional
development of similar urban centers in other countries in Central America
and the Caribbean. Thus, to pursue this aim, data was collected from
published literature, census, surveys, assessments, and water and
wastewater documentation produced by a diverse variety of sources
including global agencies, financial institutions, municipal governments,
amplified by a site visit that included informal interviews with lo!
cal residents, academicians, researchers, and both governmental and
non-governmental organizations. Once the data were analyzed and processed,
a multidisciplinary integrated analysis was conducted to merge the water
and sanitation information with socioeconomic indicators and spatial data
in order to determine the nature and extent of any existing inequalities.
This comparison was used to determine whether or not there higher income
neighborhoods experiencing less sewage contamination and a greater degree
of water treatment in SPS. Findings indicated that access or socioeconomic
status does not always correlate with quality of service.
Mailing Address:
777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091
Boca Raton, FL 33431-0091
Authors:
Daniel E. Meeroff/dmeeroff@civil.fau.edu/Florida Atlantic
University/(P)
Helena Solo-Gabriele/hmsolo@miami.edu/University of Miami
Richard Weisskoff/rwecon@gate.net/University of Miami