In Buenos Aires, Argentina, water management and sanitation is an active challenge that the city deals with in light of a growing metropolitan area. The organization in charge of providing drinking water is Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos (Argentine Water and Sanitation) or AySA. AySA is a publicly owned company, which means that it is operated by the government. The headquarters of AySA is located in the center of Buenos Aires inside the Palacio de Aguas Corrientes (the Palace of Running Water)--a large ornate building designed to look like a lavish mansion in the middle of one of Buenos Aires' most wealthy neighborhoods. The Palacio de Aguas Corrientes was originally built to conceal massive water tanks used to store drinking water. It's like a fancy water tower!
Within certain neighborhoods, known as "villas," a specific challenge emerges--the absence of formal water connections. This means that some families do not have dedicated pipelines to bring water directly into their homes. These neighborhoods are often very dense, meaning that the homes are quite close together, and they tend to be built quickly.
