Peru’s Environment Ministry and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today signed the Integrated Water Resources Management Project in the Titicaca-Desaguadero-Poopo-Salar de Coipasa (TDPS) System in Peru and Bolivia.
The document was signed by Environment Minister Elsa Galarza and UNDP Resident Representative in Peru Maria del Carmen Sacasa de Ventura.
The project seeks to improve Lake Titicaca’s environmental quality and, as a result, the surroundings of 1.5 million inhabitants who carry out daily and economic activities in the area.
“The United Nations participates with project GEF [Global Environmental Facility] through a US$6.5-million grant. This contribution will allow us to implement 11 environmental courses of action, six of which will take place in Peru to clean up Lake Titicaca’s water resources,” Galarza informed.
The 6 pilot projects to be developed in Peru are geared towards the use of totora rush for polluted water bodies’ remediation, an alternative technique to mercury in small-scale mining, organization of users for water quality monitoring, among others.
Likewise, Minister Galarza added Peru will be able to put into practice the binational agreements reached with Bolivia through the lake decontamination projects.
“It is about achieving quality water resources. This is relevant given the high number of economic activities — such as aquaculture — developed at the Lake which provide food and a livelihood to the community. Likewise, Lake Titicaca is a source of tourism, it features forests, as well as an entire major ecosystem,” she pointed out.
The Ministry will coordinate with its Bolivian counterpart to determine the steps to be taken. Said measures will begin in January 2017.
(END) NDP/MAO/DHT/RMB
Published: 11/22/2016