House approves rain catchment financing bill

Chile's lower house approved Wednesday in a first review a bill of how to finance rain catchment works in the country, estimated to require US$1.7bn, the house reported. Of the US$1.7bn, US$690mn corresponds to the capital Santiago, which suffers from chronic yearly flood problems. The bill will be sent back to the public works and finance committees for a second round of debate, after which the bill will be submitted to the house floor for a second and final vote. Under the bill, the public works ministry would put works out to tender/concession, and would not limit solutions to only piping works, but other alternatives such as reservoirs or containment pools. The bill also includes the possibility of government subsidies to offset the extra charge that would be included in users' monthly water bills to help pay for the works.