Direccion de Obras Hidraulicas

What Direccion de Obras Hidraulicas does

Dirección de Obras Hidráulicas (DOH) is a Chilean government agency subordinate to the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), tracing its institutional origins to the Inspección General de Regadíos created in 1915 and reorganized under DFL 850 in 1997. The agency is responsible for the study, design, construction, supervision, and conservation of public hydraulic infrastructure across all regions of Chile, spanning irrigation works, river flood defenses, urban stormwater drainage, and rural sanitation services. It operates as a successor entity to the historical Dirección de Riego, with nearly 110 years of accumulated institutional experience and a national network of regional offices.

DOH executes its mandate through four core product lines: Obras de Riego (reservoirs, canals, wells — including the $158M USD Embalse Zapallar in Ñuble with 80M cubic meter capacity), Obras Fluviales (river regularization and flood defense), Obras de Aguas Lluvias (urban stormwater drainage under Ley 19.525), and Servicios Sanitarios Rurales (2,446 rural water and sanitation systems serving over 2.3 million inhabitants under Ley 20.998). Technical capabilities include the Tunnel Liner underground channelization system, multipurpose floodable park design (Parque Inundable Víctor Jara, 41 hectares), and a national hydrometric network of 1,800 real-time monitoring stations. Strategic initiatives underway include public desalination plants for human consumption authorized under the 2023 law modification, with the first plant planned for Coquimbo region.

The agency is funded exclusively through annual national budget allocations from MOP and does not generate commercial revenue. Projects are procured through competitive public tenders and executed by private construction companies under DOH engineering supervision. End users are Chilean citizens and communities — primarily agricultural producers in regions like Ñuble, rural populations requiring potable water access, and urban populations requiring flood protection — served across all Chilean regions from Visviri in the north to Puerto Toro in the south. DOH is overseen by national director María Loreto Mery and operates under the current MOP minister Martín Arrau, who assumed office in 2026 with a portfolio of more than 60 priority initiatives.

Name

Direccion de Obras Hidraulicas

Legal name

Dirección de Obras Hidráulicas

Website

https://doh.mop.gob.cl

Company type

Public

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dirección de Obras Hidráulicas (DOH) is a Chilean government agency under the Ministry of Public Works that plans, builds, and supervises national hydraulic infrastructure — irrigation works, river flood defenses, urban stormwater drainage, and rural sanitation systems — serving citizens, agricultural producers, and rural communities across all Chilean regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Hydraulic Infrastructure

NAICS

Utility System Construction (2371), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIALAD

Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Transportation & Infrastructure Agencies (Roads, Transit, Public Works)

SECONDARYIMAFAGAG

Desalination Plant Construction

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Water & Wastewater Infrastructure Construction

SECONDARYIMAFAAAG

Public Works General Contracting

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/General Contracting & Construction Management

SECONDARYAFACAAAK

Drainage & Field Water Control Services (Tile Installation, Ditching)

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Custom Farming & Field Operations (Planting, Spraying, Harvesting)

Keywords

• Hydraulic infrastructure
• Irrigation works
• Urban drainage
• River flood control
• Rural sanitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Santiago

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: DOH operates as a government spending agency funded through annual national budget allocations from the Chilean Ministry of Public Works. No commercial revenue generation - projects are funded through public investment budgets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dirección de Obras Hidráulicas (DOH) is a Chilean government agency that plans, builds, and supervises public hydraulic infrastructure across Chile, including irrigation reservoirs and canals, river flood defenses, urban stormwater drainage networks, rural potable water and sanitation systems, and seawater desalination plants. Its portfolio is organized into five product lines: Obras de Riego, Obras Fluviales, Obras de Aguas Lluvias, Servicios Sanitarios Rurales, and Desaladoras, delivered through publicly tendered construction contracts under the Ministry of Public Works.

Product overview

Dirección de Obras Hidráulicas (DOH) is a Chilean government agency under the Ministry of Public Works managing national hydraulic infrastructure. The organization operates a portfolio of interconnected infrastructure programs including: Obras de Riego (irrigation works for agricultural development), Obras Fluviales (river flood defenses), Obras de Aguas Lluvias (urban stormwater drainage under Law 19.525), and Servicios Sanitarios Rurales (rural water and sanitation services under Law 20.998). Strategic initiatives include Desaladoras (desalination plants for human consumption). Key projects include the multi-purpose Embalse Zapallar reservoir, the Canal Santa Marta underground channelization system, various Rural Sanitation Service expansions, and the Parque Inundable Víctor Jara flood control park. DOH also manages the Plan Nacional de Grandes Embalses (National Large Reservoirs Plan) and operates winter emergency response programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Subdirección de Servicios Sanitarios Rurales: Entity responsible for supervising and regulating sanitary services in rural zones, created in 2011 and renamed in 2020 under Law 20.998

Products and services

• Obras de Riego (Irrigation Works) Construction and supervision of new reservoirs (embalses), irrigation canals and piping, canal improvement, hydraulic structures, and well construction for agricultural irrigation and water supply. Successor to the historical Dirección de Riego with origins in 1915.
• Obras Fluviales (River Works) Flood defense construction and maintenance for lands and populations against river overflows, including riverbank and channel regularization for rivers, lagoons, and streams, as mandated by MOP's Organic Law D.F.L. 850/1997.
• Obras de Aguas Lluvias (Urban Stormwater/Drainage Works) Urban stormwater drainage and evacuation systems developed under Law 19.525 (1997) to address flooding from urban expansion that lacked proper rainwater infrastructure.
• Servicios Sanitarios Rurales (Rural Sanitation Services) Supervision and regulation of rural sanitation services established under Law 20.998 (2020), providing water supply and sanitation to rural areas through the Subdirección de Servicios Sanitarios Rurales.
• Desaladoras (Desalination Plants) Seawater desalination infrastructure for human consumption, authorized under the modified DFL 850, with the first public desalination plant planned for the Coquimbo region to address water scarcity in northern Chile.

Quantifiable outcome

• 110 new Rural Sanitary Services built 2022-2025, benefiting 65,000+ people with potable water access
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered significant, minor and core.

• Government of Santiago and SERVIU MetropolitanosignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 January 2026Agreement for acceleration of rainwater infrastructure in 10 communes of Santiago Metropolitan Region with total investment of $17.542 billion. DOH, Government of Santiago, and SERVIU coordinate to advance the Rainwater Master Plan by 3 years.
• Canal Las Mercedes AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2025Collaboration with Canal Las Mercedes Association for conservation, monitoring, and control works on the canal. Investment of $1.3 billion benefiting 500 small and medium farmers and securing irrigation for 10,000 hectares in RM.
• PNUD (Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo)significantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2024Partnership with UNDP for construction of new alluvial infrastructure in Antofagasta through the Adaptaclima program, seeking to reduce alluvial flood vulnerability in coastal cities of Latin America and the Caribbean. Total investment of $13.482 billion pesos, with first stage financing of approximately $2.774 billion from UNDP. Initial works in Quebrada Bonilla, extending to Taltal (Chile) and Esmeraldas (Ecuador).
• ESSBIOsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Historic agreement for transfer of water rights in benefit of 12 Rural Sanitary Services in O'Higgins region, serving 33,000 people. MOP/DOH Subdirección de SSR managed the process with ESSBIO and community leaders, transferring water rights to MOP administration for community management.
• CNR (Comisión Nacional de Riego)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOH coordinates with CNR for large dam projects through the Plan Nacional de Grandes Embalses. Embalse Zapallar and proposed Embalse Nueva La Punilla are being developed through CNR Council for ministerial approval.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• SEDAPAL: Peruvian state water utility serving Lima. Comparable as a public-sector water and sanitation operator in a neighboring Andean country with similar hydrological vulnerability and large urban service territory.
• EAAB (Empresa de Acueducto y Alcantarillado de Bogotá): Colombian capital water utility operating stormwater, water supply, and sanitation infrastructure. Comparable given the parallel urban drainage and stormwater mandate similar to DOH's Obras de Aguas Lluvias.

Broad incumbents

• SABESP: Brazilian state water and sanitation company with São Paulo concession. Comparable as a large public-sector water utility in South America with stormwater, water supply, and sanitation mandates structurally similar to DOH's portfolio.
• Aguas Andinas: Chile's largest private sanitation and water utility serving Santiago. Comparable as a Chilean water infrastructure operator with regulatory oversight, large urban service territory, and SSR-adjacent rural operations through ESVAL subsidiaries.
• Public Utilities Board (PUB Singapore): Singapore's national water agency managing water supply, stormwater, and desalination comparable to DOH's diversified portfolio. Relevant as a global reference for an integrated public hydraulic infrastructure agency.
• Superintendencia de Servicios Sanitarios (SISS): Chilean regulatory agency for sanitation services, listed as a peer MOP direction on DOH's site. Comparable as a public-sector water/sanitation regulator operating alongside DOH in the same governance ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Comisión Nacional de Riego (CNR): Chilean state agency coordinating irrigation policy and co-financing large dam projects with DOH. Directly comparable because both are public agencies executing irrigation infrastructure in Chile, with formal collaboration on Plan Nacional de Grandes Embalses.
• ESSBIO: Chilean water and sanitation utility with direct DOH partnership for water rights transfer to 12 rural SSR systems in O'Higgins. Comparable given overlap in rural sanitation delivery and ongoing institutional coordination with DOH.
• Obras Sanitarias del Estado (OSE): Uruguayan state-owned water and sanitation utility. Comparable as a public-sector water infrastructure operator in South America with rural service mandates analogous to Chile's SSR program.
• Dirección General de Aguas (DGA Chile): Direccion sister agency within Chile's MOP that manages water resource policy, allocation, and hydrological oversight. Compares directly given shared MOP parent, overlapping water infrastructure mandate, and joint coordination on reservoirs and irrigation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mop_chile
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgdUPNHOJZuZ71IeCpYrVPg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ministerio-de-Obras-P%C3%BAblicas-Chile-809599642572508
• Instagraminstagram.com/mop_cl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/direccion-de-obras-hidraulicas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Direccion de Obras Hidraulicas