AySA privatization faces judicial challenges in Argentina

The La Plata Administrative Litigation Chamber has upheld an injunction against Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos (AySA), ordering the company to refrain from modifying, reducing, or suspending its obligations regarding potable water access and service quality. This ruling, supported by the Buenos Aires Ombudsman, comes amid the company’s restructuring and privatization process and remains in effect until a comprehensive environmental, sanitary, and institutional evaluation is completed.

In a separate legal action, Esteban Echeverría Mayor Fernando Gray filed a new injunction in La Plata federal courts challenging the privatization process. Gray argues that the current bidding terms unfairly exclude provincial state companies, such as Agua Bonaerense S. A. (ABSA), from participating on equal terms. He emphasized that access to water and sanitation is a fundamental human right and expressed concern that prioritizing profitability could jeopardize service expansion and universal access for residents.