INDE leads meeting to form the Water Cabinet

The following is a machine translation of a Ministry of Energy and Mines release

Víctor Hugo Ventura, Minister of Energy and Mines and President of the Board of Directors of the National Electrification Institute (INDE), led a working meeting with representatives of national and international institutions with the purpose of achieving the formation of the Water Cabinet.

The creation of the Water Cabinet was announced by President Bernardo Arévalo and Vice President Karin Herrera, in an activity held at the National Palace of Culture, where they highlighted the importance of caring for and properly managing Guatemala's water resources.

This initiative will work on strategies that seek to protect Guatemalan rivers and lakes, and will also seek to ensure that water is a real, accessible and equitable right for all inhabitants of the country.

The main objective of the Water Cabinet will be the creation and implementation of a National Water Policy and, to this end, state and international entities will work in an inter-institutional manner.

Finally, a national dialogue will be sought to comply with the constitutional order to create and approve a Water Law for Guatemala.

The working meeting was held in the INDE board of directors' hall and was attended by the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Patricia Orantes, the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Nick Jener Estrada and the president of the Municipal Development Institute Karina Slowing.

Representatives from the Ministry of Health, an international consultant expert in water legislation, the Superintendent of Tax Administration Marco Livio and the General Manager of INDE Luis Martínez also participated.