Focus area
Rímac River
The river that supplies most of Lima's water, with documented pressure from wastewater, solid waste and upper-basin mining.
South America
Peru
Focus area
The Rímac in Lima: a river that supplies a capital and carries its pressures.
Geography and context
Peru's capital, Lima, is home to more than 10 million people, according to an analysis by the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA). The Rímac River flows through the city and, in that same analysis, is described as supplying 80 percent of Lima's water.
Reports on the Rímac describe pressure from several directions: untreated wastewater discharges, solid waste dumped along the river, and metals linked to mining activity in the upper basin. Peruvian organizations and agencies are already working on these questions.
Focus area
Opportunities we may explore
- Learn first from Peruvian water, environmental-law and waste specialists.
- Look at simple river monitoring and riverbank surveys that local teams can maintain.
- Explore ways to reduce solid waste entering the river, working with neighborhood and recycler groups.
- Treat safe drinking-water access as its own program, led by qualified local specialists.
Organizations to explore
Organization to exploreWorks on this waterway
Aquafondo (Fondo de Agua para Lima y Callao)
The Water Fund for Lima and Callao, which says it works to conserve, protect and restore the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín watersheds. Its website describes it as a multisectoral platform and lists programs on water seeding (nature-based infiltration), climate education, water efficiency, water access and governance, with 61 projects and more than 320,000 people benefited. A 2013 article describes it as a civil association created in 2010 by Backus, Grupo GEA, Fondo de las Américas, PUCP, The Nature Conservancy and SPDA.
Official website of Aquafondo (Fondo de Agua para Lima y Callao) (external site)
Organization to exploreWorks on this waterway
Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA)
A Peruvian environmental law organization founded in 1986 by a group of students. Its website lists water as an action line, and its environmental policy program has published analysis of Rímac River pollution and recovery (2011 and 2025). It is a founding member of Aquafondo. Its role is legal and policy work rather than field cleanup.
Official website of Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA) (external site)
Organization to exploreCountry-level expertise
Ciudad Saludable
A Lima organization founded in 2002 that works on inclusive recycling, environmental education and integrated solid-waste management. A 2019 Andina report calls it an NGO and describes its partnership with Lima's municipality on recycling stations in central Lima. Its own site does not mention the Rímac, so its relevance is country-level.
Know these waters?
If you live or work in Peru, your knowledge matters more than ours. We would like to listen.
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