Through the project Water Management in the San Salvador Metropolitan Area of EUROCLIMA+ Water, equipment was delivered to the Ministry of Environment, the National Administration of Aqueducts and Sewerage, and the University of El Salvador, for the collection of information and the execution of soil and groundwater studies.

6 July 2021. San Salvador, El Salvador. On 30 June, Henry Flores, Deputy Coordinator of the Council of Mayors of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, delivered technical equipment to three entities with the aim of strengthening institutions directly linked to the protection of water resources in the San Salvador Metropolitan Area (AMSS), providing good quality water to the inhabitants and determining which aquifer recharge zones should be protected in the region:

• The Ministry of Environment was provided with permeability-oriented tools. 
• The National Administration of Aqueducts and Sewers (ANDA), was provided with equipment that will be used to measure the infiltration or permeability of the water, as well as the type of quality and characteristics of the water resource.
• The University of El Salvador, was provided with laboratory tools to enable studies of the different types of soils and the behaviour of groundwater. 

This effort was carried out in the framework of the project "Water Management in the AMSS", which is part of the EUROCLIMA+ programme, financed by the European Union, in the sector of Water Management from an Urban Resilience Perspective, implemented by the French Agency for Development (AFD) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) 

The project is implemented by AECID and executed by the Council of Mayors and the Planning Office of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador - COAMSS / OPAMSS.

The donation of this equipment is an investment of more than 31,000 dollars, and it is hoped that it can be replicated on a national scale. Through these inputs, important information can be collected for the preparation of maps and water balance, one of the main objectives of the project.  

Water Management in the AMSS

During the delivery of inputs event, which was a face-to-face event complying with all biosecurity parameters due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, and in which participated members of COAMSS, representatives of the central government, technicians of the municipalities and Civil Protection, academia, urban planners, real estate developers, and others, the project and its generalities were presented by the Environmental Advisor of COAMSS/OPAMSS, Dr. Alexander Chávez.

“It is essential to have projects like this that allow us to understand how water moves, where we have it and how much of it we have".

For her part, Natalia Otamendi, AECID representative in El Salvador, said that it is of utmost importance for international cooperation to support these types of projects, and that in this process it is essential to highlight the capacity for inter-institutional coordination that has been achieved among the actors involved. "In order to have an impact, we need technical data. That is why it is essential to have projects like this one, which allow us to understand how water moves, where we have it and how much of it we have. This project is part of EUROCLIMA+, the European Union's materialised commitment to fight climate change".

The Deputy Coordinator of COAMSS, Henry Flores, said that this delivery of equipment not only contributes to better joint work with important institutions, it also generates a direct and positive impact on the metropolitan population, by providing essential tools for generating maps that will serve as a guide to know the aquifer recharge areas to be protected, because these are where more water quality is generated, taking into account that currently in the AMSS, one of the three major sources of water resources is groundwater.

Through Water Management in the AMSS, the aim is to generate new information for the protection and increase of water availability, as well as pilot projects to generate conditions for adaptation to extreme events related to climate change.

EUROCLIMA+ sector Water management with an urban resilience perspective

Through this sector of the EUROCLIMA+ programme implemented by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the French Development Agency (AFD), a total of seven projects will be implemented. For more information on each project visit: https://www.euroclima.org/agua

About EUROCLIMA+ 

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German Federal Government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain. Its objective is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries by promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation, resilience and investment. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the UN Environment Programme.

Contacts

For more information about communication and visibility of EUROCLIMA+, contact Alexandra Cortés: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For information about the Urban Water sector EUROCLIMA+, write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.