Surroundings in Paraguay

Paraguay has no single national authority for everyday surroundings. The Municipalidad usually handles streets, avenues, plazas, parks, cleaning, public infrastructure, local land use and parts of basic services. Its Plan de Desarrollo Sustentable del Municipio (PDS) sets development priorities, while the Plan de Ordenamiento Urbano y Territorial (POUT) regulates zoning, the road system, infrastructure and services. Building permits, lot subdivision, cadastral matters and local rules on fire or collapse risks also depend on the municipality. Fees, documents and processing times are not uniform nationwide. The 2025 INE EPHC recorded 1,846,580 households. Potable water reached 87.2% of households, an improved water source 93.2% and improved sanitation 93.4%. Public waste collection reached 62.3% overall, but 80.7% in urban areas and 17.4% in rural areas. Burning household waste affected 25.7% of households, including 9.4% in urban areas and 65.6% in rural areas. These figures show why the same surroundings issue can require different practical solutions depending on the district and settlement type. Water services are regulated and supervised nationally by ERSSAN under Law 1614/2000. Service providers include ESSAP, SENASA, local Juntas de Saneamiento and private or community networks. Law 3239/2007 treats water as public property and recognizes access to a minimum quantity of drinking water, with human consumption receiving priority. Water use may require authorization from the water-resources authority, and projects affecting water can require an environmental impact assessment. Services are expected to provide continuity, regularity, quality and equal treatment, with a national objective of continuous supply, but local interruptions remain possible. Report a problem first to the provider and then to ERSSAN. ESSAP lists 162 and 0800-11-0888 for complaints and service contacts. Connection charges and tariffs depend on the provider, area and tariff regime, so current ESSAP charges must be checked separately. Wastewater may reach a public sewer network, but many areas use cesspits or septic tanks. ERSSAN covers service quality, tariffs, providers and effluent matters. Where no public network exists, the individual system or local Junta de Saneamiento becomes decisive. Improper discharge can affect soil and water and may create environmental duties even where no sewer connection is available. Waste management is decentralized. Law 3956/2009 and Decree 7391/2017 provide the national framework. MADES sets national requirements, manages the PNGIRSU framework and related PMGIRS planning, and uses instruments such as the DIA for disposal facilities and SIAM registration. The Municipalidad organizes collection, cleaning and local disposal or contracts those services. Open burning of waste is unlawful, although it remains common in practice, especially where collection is limited. The applicable charge, collection schedule and complaint channel depend on the municipality or private provider serving the address. Noise from public or private sources is governed by Law 1100/1997. For residential or public areas, the stated limits are 45 dB(A) at night from 20:00 to 07:00, 60 dB(A) during the day from 07:00 to 20:00 and 80 dB(A) for occasional peaks. Mixed areas use 55, 70 and 85 dB(A), while industrial areas use 60, 75 and 90 dB(A). dB(A) is a sound measurement weighted to approximate human hearing. The local plan regulador determines the area classification. A complaint can go to the Municipalidad or the Policía; the municipality may authorize activity, arrange technical measurement and require sound protection. Measuring equipment must be municipal equipment or equipment controlled by INTN. Sanctions can reach 50 jornales, with harsher consequences for repeated violations. No nationwide complaint fee or uniform processing deadline is established. Air-quality regulation is based on Law 5211/2014, Decree 1269/2019 and relevant resolutions. MADES and its Dirección General del Aire address fixed and mobile sources, limits and the Índice de Calidad del Aire (ICA). Official real-time coverage is concentrated mainly in Asunción and Central, and the current ICA focuses on PM2.5 and PM10; other pollutants may require separate data. The Proyecto Respira and community sensors can supplement official measurements, but their data are informative and do not establish an equally distributed national monitoring network. Portal access is free. Smoke from waste burning, heavy traffic and industrial activity can make air information especially relevant at a particular address. Municipalities manage parks, plazas, green areas and public tree care, while Law 4928/2013 applies to urban trees nationwide. Owners, tenants and possessors have duties concerning trees on their property and along the adjoining sidewalk. Strong pruning, transplanting or felling normally requires municipal authorization. Felling compensation is ten seedlings for each tree. A public tree may require neighboring consent and a technical certificate. If a tree is damaged, the responsible party may have to pay for replanting. After inspection, a municipal decision can take up to five working days. Access, maintenance and equipment in public green spaces remain highly local. Biodiversity and protected-area questions belong primarily to Nature rather than this surroundings topic. Safety responsibilities are also divided. SEN, created under Law 2615/2005, coordinates disaster-risk management with departments, municipalities and private actors. Relevant hazards include floods, storms, fires and droughts. SEN provides the Atlas de Riesgos and SAT-SEN warning services, while DMH provides weather and rainfall warnings. Municipalities handle local emergency organization and rules concerning construction, fire and collapse risks. The national emergency numbers are 911 for the Policía, 132 for Bomberos and 141 for SEME. Response times depend on the event and location. Environmental participation can occur through MADES and SIAM, including access to environmental information, environmental-impact-assessment files and project tracking. Under Law 294/1993, Decree 453/2013 and Resolution SEAM 640/2014, a public hearing is required when an indigenous community is directly affected, or it can follow a reasoned request by neighbors or potentially affected people submitted through MADES Mesa de Entrada. Observations and objections should be considered in the decision. PDS and POUT processes provide additional municipal planning channels, while water governance is intended to include participatory and decentralized elements. Project-specific rules determine the timing. Accessibility of sidewalks, ramps, crossings and other everyday facilities is mainly handled through municipal building, planning and infrastructure powers. Paraguay does not have one proven nationwide complaint channel for all everyday accessibility problems. The relevant POUT, municipal office and local infrastructure plan therefore need to be checked for the exact place. Urban expansion, land-use changes, infrastructure, water projects and waste facilities can involve the Municipalidad, the PDS or POUT and MADES environmental procedures such as EIA, DIA and SIAM tracking. Water extraction and use can also require environmental assessment or authorization. The Geoportal and SIAM provide environmental and spatial information. Costs and time limits depend on the municipality, project and permit type, so no single national deadline applies to every change affecting surroundings. Housing law, biodiversity and protected areas, and transport as a primary subject belong to adjacent topics; they appear here only where they directly affect the everyday environment.