Santa Marta's multi-billion dollar desalination project under government review amid water crisis

Santa Marta is once again caught in a decades-old paradox: a costly solution to its water scarcity exists on paper, but while paperwork and procedures are debated, thousands of residents endure months without a drop.

The desalination project, valued at approximately $786 million, is now under scrutiny by President Abelardo De La Espriella's administration. It has been included in the "Book of Truth," a compilation of over 80 findings from the previous Gustavo Petro government, which have been forwarded to the Fiscalía, Contraloría, and Procuraduría.

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During the intervention of the Superintendency of Public Services, what existed was a request for non-binding offers, an exercise in quotations that did not constitute a tender nor obliged the company to contract with the bidders.

This project had already seen changes. During Petro's tenure, its location was reconsidered after the former president questioned its placement in a hotel zone. He advocated for relocating it to northern Santa Marta to benefit less affluent areas, with Pescaíto eventually being considered.

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Currently, there is no tender, award, or contract underway for the construction of the plants.

However, the change in government brought new concerns. The current administration is examining how the project was structured and actions taken in the final weeks of the previous government. The Procuraduría has requested a preventive suspension of the proceedings, and the case has also been transferred to the Fiscalía and Contraloría.

The Santa Marta Public Services Company (Essmar) clarified that during the previous administration's intervention, only non-binding offers were solicited, which did not constitute a tender or obligate the company to contract with any bidders. Essmar stated that no tender, award, or contract for the construction of the plants is currently underway. However, the company emphasized that desalinization has not been discarded and remains a potential structural solution for the city.

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This does not mean that desalination has been discarded: the alternative continues to be considered within the possible structural solutions for the city.