Cali Sanitation Company Emsirva Faces Extended Liquidation Amidst Emcali Lawsuit Developments

The process of returning Cali's public sanitation company, Emsirva, to local administration has been extended. The Superintendency of Public Services initially set June 30, 2026, as the deadline for this handover, but has now granted a new extension until December. Emsirva has been under state intervention since September 27, 2005, a period nearing 21 years.

Since Emsirva can no longer directly provide waste collection services, four private operators, Ciudad Limpia, Veolia, Promo Cali, and Promo Valle, have been contracted to manage the service. These contracts were not renewed in January 2026 and have not yet been fully settled, leading to ongoing legal discussions between Emsirva and the operators.

Adding complexity to the situation, a lawsuit filed by Misión Ambiental S.A. ESP against Cali's municipal services company, Emcali, has taken a new turn. On April 22, the Fifth Civil Circuit Court ordered Emcali to recognize 154,037 users that Misión Ambiental claims to have served within Emcali's billing system. This service, related to sanitation, is estimated to cost approximately 7 billion pesos monthly.

The Superintendency's decision to prolong Emsirva's liquidation and the court's ruling on the Emcali lawsuit represent significant shifts in the city's sanitation and municipal services landscape. The extended liquidation period for Emsirva suggests ongoing challenges in finalizing its administrative and financial affairs, while the Emcali lawsuit highlights disputes over service provision and billing within the city's utility sector.

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The liquidation of Emsirva has been extended or...