The project for the construction of the Wastewater Treatment Plant and sewerage system in Mariano Roque Alonso (MRA) remains paralyzed, despite the approval of financing exceeding US$160 million from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF).
The Minister of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), Claudia Centurión, stated that the project was delayed because the Mariano Roque Alonso Municipality allegedly sold the original land, forcing a modification to the project.
Mayor Carolina Aranda publicly denied the accusation. On her social media, she stated that no land was sold and that, in March, the municipality had already formally delivered to the MOPC the resolution awarding the purchase of new land for the project. "We have complied as a municipality in providing the necessary land so that this long-awaited project can be realized," said Aranda, attempting to exempt the municipal administration from responsibility for the delay.
She explained to Radio Ñandutí that the initial land was not available because it was private property, which forced the search for a new area. "Land A is no longer an option, not because it was sold, but because it is private," she stated.
The bidding process, which is the responsibility of the MOPC, appears as suspended on the portal of the National Directorate of Public Procurement (DNCP). The project, which would benefit approximately 290,000 inhabitants of Mariano Roque Alonso, Luque, and Asunción, involves the construction of more than 447 km of sewer network, 10 pumping stations, and improvements to the drinking water system.
Update - Jul 24, 2026, 10:47 AM
A second report, from ABC Color, describes the same dispute between Paraguay's Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) and the Mariano Roque Alonso municipality. Minister Claudia Centurión said the municipality sold the site originally designated for the project and caused the delay. Mayor Carolina Aranda denied any sale and said the private owner of the original property had declined to transfer it.
Aranda said the municipality purchased another property in the same area and delivered the acquisition resolution to the ministry in March 2026. The additional report also confirms that the US$160 million financing was approved in 2023 and that construction has yet to begin.