During the first week of September in La Paz, government officials inaugurated the La Buena Mujer water purification plant, which promises to improve access to drinking water for at least 12 neighborhoods and 13,000 inhabitants.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by municipal authorities, representatives of the state government, directors of the Municipal Operating Agency of the Drinking Water, Sewage and Sanitation System (OOMSAPAS)) and neighborhood leaders.
The municipal president of La Paz, Milena Quiroga Romero, declared the main objective of the water treatment plant is to provide clean and safe water to citizens, who, until now, have faced challenges in accessing this vital resource.
He stated, “It was built years ago and was rehabilitated during the last administration but was never connected, because there was nowhere to pour water into it. The process has been completed and the water is drinkable.”
The water treatment plant will not only facilitate access to drinking water but will generate jobs in the community, contributing to economic growth.
The mayor of La Paz revealed the total investment in the new water treatment plant was 175 million pesos.
“At first we thought it was 100 million, then we said 120, then 150 and then 170, because there was no electricity in the dam that would allow the water to be pumped to the highest part and from there it would come. We always had the support of the federal government and CONAGUA to provide information about why there were those adjustments in the project. But this will allow us to do justice to all those neighborhoods that for many years have suffered from the lack of water and it was time to do them justice with this very important water work.”
The water treatment plant will have the capacity to inject up to 70 liters of water per second to reinforce the water distribution network within the City of La Paz. This work had three vital phases: 1) The installation of submersible pumps in the dam, 2) a 14.2-kilometer conduction line and 3) the treatment plant to remove impurities and begin the purification process.
Among the upcoming plans that the La Paz City Council has in coordination with the state and federal government, is the construction of a new water dam that will be named “El Novillo”, with the aim of capturing and distributing more water for other neighborhoods.
This is exciting news but there is still much to be done in both La Paz and Los Cabos because the lack of water issue is one that will never go away, especially since the skyrocketing population growth continues.
