Nicaragua to improve Lake Managua's southern watershed drainage with IDB assistance
A $13 million loan will help reduce risks of floods and landslides and promote the preservation of drinking water sources.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Inter-American Development Bank approved a $13 million loan to help improve stormwater drainage and the management of solid waste and land use, with the goal of preventing floods and landslides and preserving water quality in Lake Managua's Southern Watershed.
The funds will support stormwater drainage works in the Southern Watershed’s Subwatershed III, which is partly occupied by Managua (a city that is home to a fourth of Nicaragua's population) and four other municipalities. They will also strengthen environmental and land-use management of Managua's City Hall and of the other municipalities involved.
The 180-square-km Subwatershed III is the principal area for recharging the aquifer that provides 60 percent of Managua's drinking water. Urban growth is overloading the stormwater drainage system and affecting the quantity and quality of water feeding the aquifers, putting the city’s drinking water supply at risk.
Moreover, the sediment and solid waste conveyed in the drainage system exposes the lower watershed areas to flooding in the rainy season and the absence of basic services in informal settlements causes wastewater to enter the stormwater system. Polluted water subsequently leaks into the aquifer or flows into Lake Managua.
In order to address these problems, the lending will finance drainage works on Subwatershed III’s "31 de Diciembre" riverbed, including construction of a flow-regulation microdam; 2,560 m of channel improvement works; five box bridges; and four concrete curtain walls to control sediments and water speed.
The program will also finance the installation of a river gauge network to monitor flow rates and the design of a Joint IntegratedSolid Waste Management Plan for municipalities that includes building a final solid waste disposal center and improving waste transportation.
The program will fund soil and water conservation works to reduce surface runoff and increase infiltration in order to protect the aquifer and reduce erosion; support the design of environmental-management and land-use and development plans; contribute to institutional strengthening of relevant public agencies; and promote environmental education.
Norway will contribute a $5.8 million grant for the program, and the Managua City Hall will provide $1 million in local counterpart funds.
The Bank's lending consists of a $6.5 million loan from its ordinary capital for a 30-year term with a 5-1/2-year grace period, and a $6.5 million credit from the concessional Fund for Special Operations for a 40 year term, 40 years of grace, and a 0.25% interest rate.
The Inter-American Development Bank approved a loan to finance the construction of infrastructure to reduce flooding and make urban improvements in the Juan Díaz River basin.
The Panama Mayor's Office informed that the resources will be used in three components. A first component of Flood Mitigation Infrastructure; a second component to improve the quality of public spaces; and a third component that will support the sustainability of the investments foreseen in components one and two, and the capacities of the Municipality of Panama to carry out the integral management of the basin during this program.
Loans totaling $10 million will reduce vulnerability of rural communities and facilitate the adaptation of agricultural producers to climate change
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved two loans totaling $10 million to reduce the vulnerability of rural communities in Nicaragua affected by climate change through a program to manage and conserve natural resources and protect watersheds.
Investments will target cities in central and western provinces, along with low-income suburban communities near Panama City.
Panama will expand coverage and improve the quality of water supply services and sewer systems in cities near its capital and in its central and western provinces with a $40 million loan approved by the Inter-American Development Bank.
IDB authorized a $30 million loan to improve health and environmental conditions in the capital city.
This loan provides complementary funding to a project for expanding the sewer system of Panama City. The costs of this project have increased in the past years, due to the city's construction boom, which raised prices in materials, machinery and human resources.
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