Puerto Palomas, Chihuahua, Sept. 16, 2002 -- Before a crowd of Puerto Palomas residents, Chihuahua Governor Patricio Martinez Garcia, Ascencion Muncipal President Fernando Castaneda Barraza and officials of the North American Development Bank (NADB) kicked off construction of the sanitary sewer works that will benefit the more than 8,000 people who make their home in this border community.
These works are part of the city's Wastewater Collection and Treatment System Improvement Program and will be carried out with a US$1.88 million grant from the Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), which is administered by NADB and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
As part of the ceremony, the local water utility, Junta Rural de Agua y Saneamiento (JRAS), received delivery of the new equipment for desilting and cleaning sewer lines. The utility employees who will be operating the equipment have already been trained in its proper use to ensure adequate system maintenance.
"We are here recently with a program to wage the final battle against pollution and the lack of wastewater treatment," declared Chihuahua Governor Martinez-Garcia. "Through the joint efforts of municipal, state, federal and international organizations, especially the North American Development Bank, we will be able to set a clear course for this population that is being called upon to become a great border, one that has grown rapidly and will continue to grow in coming years."
With the works getting underway recently, including the expansion of the sewer lines, as well as construction of three collectors, residential sewer hookups and a wastewater pump control room, the city expects to increase sewer service coverage from 26 to 100 percent of the community's population.
"Providing financial support to border communities, such as Puerto Palomas, to build water and wastewater infrastructure that ensures an efficient and adequate service to meet both current and future needs is of vital importance to the Bank," commented Raul Rodriguez, NADB Managing Director. "We will continue working with the state of Chihuahua and the entire border region to expand and improve water and wastewater systems and to develop other types of environmental infrastructure projects."
The project, which was certified by the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) in December 2000 and will cost a total of US$5.18 million to construct, will also receive funding from the state water board, Junta Central de Agua y Saneamiento (JCAS), as well as from the local utility itself.
The BECC provided $202,650 in grant funding through its Project Development Assistance Program (PDAP) for development of a water and wastewater master plan, an environmental assessment, preliminary design and a rate study.
The North American Development Bank and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC), were created under the auspices of NAFTA by the U.S. and Mexican governments for the purpose of financing environmental infrastructure projects along their common border.
As pioneer institutions in their field, they are working to develop integrated, sustainable and fiscally responsible projects with broad community support in a framework of close cooperation and coordination between Mexico and the United States.
Source: The North American Development Bank
