ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of an investigation that aimed to analyze the challenges and opportunities of community water management in the rural area of the Upper Basin of River Cauca during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on collaborative research, the regulatory framework for dealing with the COVID-19 emergency in the water and sanitation sector in Colombia and the problems faced by Community Water and Sanitation Management Organizations (CWSMOs) during the pandemic are analyzed. The main findings are: the regulatory framework issued general guidelines for water service providers, however there were few specific provisions for CWSMOs, ignoring their particularities. The identified problems affected CWSMOs with more than 500 subscribers differently than CWSMOs with under 500 subscribers, with the first group being the most impacted. Likewise, it was concluded that these problems are related to a structural context and not only to the global health emergency. The results of the research show the need to generate a specific public policy for CWSMOs that recognizes their particular characteristics, so that they continue to guarantee access to water in rural and peripheral areas of the country.