A loan in the process of approval by the Inter -American Development Bank (IDB) for US $ 250 million would boost the creation of two projects whose central axis will be the cleaning of the Motagua River. The information was announced by Edwin Castellanos, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change in Guatemala, during the Motagua Investment Forum, carried out on Tuesday.
According to Ignez Tristao, representative of the IDB in Guatemala, this is only the first phase of a plan called “Sanitation program for the Motagua River basin.”
The Motagua River is one of the most contaminated in Latin America, according to information from Global Gateway, of the European Union. The problems facing the basin, according to the same source, include high Organic waste pollution levels and wastewater, deforestation and weak environmental governance. This river is a vital resource for more than 27% of the Guatemalan population.
For Castellanos, one of the projects will consist of the creation of A treatment plant that will be in charge of cleaning contaminated water which flows into the Motagua River. For this project, half of the funds will be used, said the official. Tristao mentioned that this plant will seek to locate the Las Vacas river in the bordersin the metropolitan area.
Castellanos added that the second project will consist of The creation of garbage collection centers in different municipalities. Tristao explained that this responds to the need to have infrastructure that allows the proper management of solid waste.
Likewise, Melissa Calvo, executive director of BiTrarash, who was present in the forum, said that another project that is being developed locally is the creation of biodigesters, which seek to generate energy from the garbage found in the Motagua River. According to Calvo, this biodigester already has a pilot project located at the Rafael Landívar University (URL).
A new plant
Tristao emphasizes that the plant is designed to provide support from the metropolitan area, with emphasis on the Las Vacas river, in the Chinautla area. This is because much of the garbage that leads to the Motagua River first goes through that area, he explained. “We are focusing the area where there will be a greater impact to be able to treat water quality and remove the waste from the river.”
According to Nelson Estrada, from the IDB, the project is currently in analysis in the Bank’s Finance Unit, and then move on to the Municipal Development Institute (INFOM), the Ministry of Planning and Programming of the Presidency (Segeplán), and subsequently to the Congress of the Republic for its discussion and final approval. Estrada says they hope to have the approval of the IDB at the end of July to enter the project to the Legislative.
Castellanos expects the loan to be approved this year, with the aim of starting the process of prefeasibility and feasibility in 2026 and initiating construction in 2027. Tristao argues that this loan has been widely discussed with the government and with the municipalities.
“The municipalities around the basin have been organized through Commonwealth, so there is also a political articulation based on this,” explains the IDB representative, who mentions that these joints maintain dialogues with congressmen to sensitize and inform about the need for the loan. In addition, Tristao points out that, since the financing has been managed through government authorities, conversations have already been held in Congress, specifically with the Environment Commission.
Tristao also expresses that support will be sought for pre -investment studies, since these will allow investment to all necessary areas. “This financing is just a first part, it is not all that is needed. To achieve what we want, more than US $ 1 billion are needed.”
New garbage collection
In addition to the water treatment plant, Tristao mentions the need for establish a comprehensive garbage collection systemwhich will be the second project to be executed once the IDB loan is approved. According to the official, an integral model will be implemented that will aim to reuse the different waste components, which will contribute to the formalization of collectors.
According to Marcos Cruz, who collaborates in the technical part of the projects of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), it is expected The creation of six garbage retention centers in the Motagua Middle Basin. Cruz argues that the project will be sustainable, since it will allow municipalities to take advantage of materials for sale and marketing.
Tristao states that the municipalities will be worked to create the necessary infrastructure for solid waste management. “It’s not that we are going to move them,” Tristao clarifies in relation to collectors. “What is done is to incorporate them to work in a new plant, in a new model, and close those current dump areas.”
In the following phases of the program, Tristao explained that it will be sought to expand the sanitation system and expand the solid waste management model to the rest of the country, especially throughout the basin, in 96 municipalities.
Biodigesters
Biodigesters are small and medium machines that can be installed in the sites where organic waste is generated, since they allow producing gas and organic fertilizer from the trash itself. This was indicated by Melissa Calvo, who says that this technology could offer an intelligent solution to the problem of organic garbage, in addition to generating energy and fertilizer.
Calvo said the project was endorsed by Swisscontact, the Rafael Landívar and Biototrarash University. The prototype, he explained, is already installed on the URL campus and said that it is a technology that can be climbed in the short term. “You can make a small biodigester for few pounds of garbage per month or medium -scale biodigesters, where a municipality could invest in technology for less than Q250 thousand.”
Calvo argues that with a biodigester you can eradicate up to 50% of the organic garbage. In addition, it reduces the carbon footprint. Instead of wasting resources, BiotraSh’s executive director considers that this technology could become an economic tool.
He also said that the project is already showing results in its pilot phase and that, in a matter of months, production will be completed. According to Calvo, small devices will be available with an approximate cost of Q30 thousand, medium -sized by Q250 thousand and other larger ones, destined for municipalities, which will have a greater investment.
Need for regulations
Jeanne Samayoa, co -founder of Eco Guatemala and president of the Alliance for the Motagua Basin, said there is interest on the part of the companies in investing in the country in environmental themes. However, he pointed out that GUatemala must also provide the necessary supplies for companies to feel safe when investing. “Companies are ready to move fast if the country moves fast,” says Samayoa.
For companies, the essential thing is to have political, legal and institutional certainty, since their profits will be in the long term, he explained. Therefore, they need guarantees to operate steadily and thus be able to invest in greater quantities, he adds.
According to Samayoa, the most solid project is the IDB loan. However, he affirms that if the mayors mobilize to grant concessions, the possibility of companies investing can be improved.