Last March, as he began a second, non-consecutive term as Uruguay’s president, Tabaré Vázquez faced a crisis over dirty drinking water in the southeastern department of Maldonado. That’s a conspicuous place for such troubles, including as it does the resort city of Punta del Este, and Vázquez responded. By June, he had endorsed US$157 million in upgrades for water-treatment plants, including one in Maldonado and one serving the national capital of Montevideo, and to build a sewage-collection line near Maldonado’s prime water source. And in late May he dismissed three top officials at OSE, Uruguay’s state-run water utility, when it emerged the agency had not disclosed evidence of poor drinking-water quality in Maldonado and the capital. As Uruguayans prepare... [Log in to read more]