Minister López launches the Winter Plan in Ñuble with an investment of US$30mn

Statement from the Ministry of Public Works of Chile

This is an automated translation of the press release issued in Spanish

The Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, has an extensive agenda in the Ñuble region, in which she first reviewed the progress of the conservation and cleaning works of the estuary and canals that involve the Chillán-Chillán Rainwater Master Plan Old. The works are part of the MOP 2024 Winter Plan, presented by the highest authority of the Public Works portfolio, which involves an investment of $29 billion pesos in the region.

“As a Government we have been working for some time on what has to do with the well-being of people for the coming time, which is why the ministry has a winter plan in all regions with preventive and alert works. For example, what we are doing here in Estero Las Toscas, where the cleaning process is being carried out. This plan includes the cleaning of 11 estuaries or canals in the city, so that rain episodes do not translate into overflowing or something of that nature. This is an area of work of the Directorate of Hydraulic Works throughout Chile and here in Chillán it is a plan that means an investment of around 29 billion pesos,” said the head of the MOP.

The Winter Plan, this year was also developed in conjunction with the mayors of the 21 communes, in different meetings held by the MOP seremi, Paulo De la Fuente, collecting the needs and working on solutions to avoid impacts on people in the coming year. winter, taking as an example what happened last winter.

From the municipality of Chillán, the director of Community Development, Soraya Martínez, thanked the MOP for the mega work of the Master Plan, which last year allowed the regional capital to not suffer major flooding, despite the historic rains in June and August: “The presence of the MOP provides the necessary muscle for all these actions, such as the launch of the 2024 winter plan and also putting into practice what this important planning instrument means for all cities and of course in Chillán, to revitalize and enhance it. In 2023 we all witnessed that we lived through a harsh winter, the people of Chillán and Ñuble had a very bad time. As a municipality we appreciate the presence of the Government and a minister on the ground, who is not in Chillán for the first time, so that speaks very well of this portfolio and the reinforcement that we municipalities need.

Along the same lines, neighborhood leader Elba Barriga, president of the Chillancito Neighborhood Council, highlighted that with the works carried out by the MOP's Hydraulic Works Directorate, the life of the community has changed. “We are showing that we are not the ugly duckling of the city of Chillán, because they are already caring about our channel. “We are very grateful for all the support from the authorities, with everything they are doing and we hope in the future to have a nice park even in this part of the city.”

Advance castled

On August 18 of last year, after the first atmospheric river that affected the country, Minister López visited the San Nicolás alley sector, at kilometer 10 on the way to Pinto, a sector affected by the overflowing of the Chillán River. On the occasion, the authority committed to works to protect the riverbank, which today are already 15% complete.

“This rockfilling is part of the reconstruction plan that the ministry is executing in relation to the two meteorological events that we had in 2023 and that caused so much damage to the entire infrastructure. Here in Ñuble this plan has a total value of 53,000 million pesos in total, and in which we are advancing on all fronts, in all contracts, so we hope to finish it as they are executed," he stated. the secretary of state.

This is a $5.5 billion project, historic for the sector that includes the section between kilometers 6 to 12 on the way to Pinto, where the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), through its Directorate of Hydraulic Works ( DOH ), is building an emergency rockfill in sections that provide greater security to nearly 2,000 people who live in these sectors, who suffered the ravages of the rains of the events of June and August 2023.