MOP, Environment and the World Bank launch a US$250mn Just Water Transition Program

By MOP

This is a machine translation of the original press release issued in Spanish.

The Ministers of Public Works, Jessica López, and of the Environment, Maisa Rojas, together with the Global Director of Water Practices at the World Bank, Saroj Kumar Jha, today launched the Just Water Transition program, which seeks to strengthen Chile's capacity for water resource management, in addition to contributing to climate resilience and environmental sustainability, benefiting local communities and ecosystems.

The program has a duration of five years, is financed by a US$250 million loan from the World Bank, and is delivered based on the MOP and the Ministry of the EnvironmentThis is a machine translation of the original press release issued in Spanish  meeting the objectives negotiated by the Government of Chile and the World Bank from 2022.

The water transition can be defined as the process of transformation in the management and use of water resources to ensure equitable and sustainable access to water. And in this direction, Chile's commitment made official today will advance around three objectives: strengthening institutional capacity for the integrated management of water resources at the national and basin levels, which is essential to ensure the availability of water and maintain the health of ecosystems; improving the sustainability of rural water and sanitation service providers through institutional strengthening and closing access gaps; and generating resilience to climate change through the development of green and grey infrastructure that reduces the risk of flooding and integrates nature-based solutions.

World Bank Global Director for Water Practice Saroj Kumar Jha said, “We are very proud of this partnership for three reasons. First, this is a program that supports the Government of Chile’s focus on a water security approach at the basin level, working with all stakeholders. Second, the innovation of this program is the participation of the private sector in all elements of water security. And third, there is the introduction of new governance and economics to establish alternative water sources to meet the water supply demand deficit in the country, which is exacerbated due to climate change.”

Minister Jessica López stressed that "we have to have a big conversation about how all strategies and designs also have a financial correlation behind them. It is good to know how much things cost, what will be charged, how they will be charged, and this program with the World Bank will be a contribution to some of these elements of governance, in the work with drinking water in cities, drinking water and sanitation in rural areas, and with new experiences of nature-based solutions. This program is a different program because it forces us and commits us to a set of results for a first stage and we have just opened the conversation for the future because there are very important topics to incorporate; very interesting international experiences and to discuss the economic and financial aspects."

Sustainability, social inclusion and ecosystem protection – these are the emphases highlighted today by the Minister of the Environment, Maisa Rojas, at the launch of the pioneering programme: “Our commitment is to ensure that water management not only meets current needs, but also protects ecosystems for future generations. That is why we speak of a fair water transition. The World Bank’s support not only allows us to strengthen greater equitable access to water in rural areas, but also to implement sustainable environmental strategies, and in this way build populations that are more resilient to climate change.”

The program was launched at a meeting between representatives from the World Bank, the Ministry of the Environment and Public Works, where the current water situation in Chile was discussed and a reflection was promoted on how this program contributes to the progress in the management of water resources in the country.