Within the framework of the water deficit that affects the Ñuble Region, 1,800 families of small farmers belonging to the communes of Bulnes and San Ignacio who were grouped together in 2008 and were recognized as “white” irrigators in 2012 by the Directorate of Hydraulic Works, aspire to be able to irrigate nearly 8,600 hectares, but to date there have only been promises that have not allowed the development of this Laja-Diguillín irrigation project to be completed.
The deputy for Ñuble Felipe Camaño, as a parliamentary member of the Public Works and Transportation Commission, put the issue on the table in 2022, officiating on multiple occasions to the Ministries of Public Works, Agriculture and Social Development, until finally in the The response issued at the beginning of March of this year by the Ministry of Social Development expressly states that “the construction of the Laja-Diguillín distribution system – stage 3, was not proposed by the Directorate of Hydraulic Works in 2019.”
Faced with the omission, which keeps irrigators without access to water from the Laja-Diguillín Canal and which was developed two weeks ago in La Discusión Domingo, the parliamentarian commented: “it is time for those responsible for this situation, which has these 1,800 families adrift, stop blaming the Government of the day, because what is needed here is to work in a coordinated manner and united for this important cause. For this reason, I asked the Minister (of Public Works), Jessica López, that we could meet with them here in the region, which agreed and finally the meeting took place, along with her team, where the National Director of Hydraulic Works (DOH)”.
Camaño emphasized that “the minister promised to study the situation and finalize the application to the National Investment System of the project called ‘Construction of the Laja-Diguillín Distribution System stage 3’, which becomes excellent news for white irrigators. of the communes of Bulnes and San Ignacio who have been waiting for the materialization of this project for more than 15 years.”
“Deleted”
César Valenzuela, president of the Blancos de Bulnes, stated two weeks ago in La Discusión that “the damage is terrible; “If Stage 3 had followed its normal course, we would be watering today.”
The leader recalled that, after consulting the Ministry of Social Development about the status of the “Áreas Blancas” irrigation project of the Laja-Diguillín system, they received in response official letter No. 69, dated January 10, 2024, issued by the Undersecretariat of Social Evaluation, a document that revealed that, after reviewing the Integrated Project Bank (BIP), it was found that there are two initiatives in the National Investment System (SNI) associated with the Laja-Diguillín system, one of them called “Construction Laja Distribution System -Diguillín (Stage 3)”, which was approved in 2012 by SNI to develop the design, which was tendered and contracted by the DOH between 2014 and 2018, and contemplated the completion of engineering design studies for various works distribution of the White and Additional Areas; among them, the improvement of the existing canal network to ensure irrigation on the properties, which is the heart of the project, as well as new works, such as the Feeder Canal 2 and protection works, among others.
According to the official letter, once the design stage was completed, the DOH did not submit this initiative to the execution stage to continue its life cycle, but rather, on October 4, 2019, it proposed a new project called “Construction Canal Alimentador 2”, again in the design stage and whose processing is still pending due to lack of new information. “The problem is that Alimentado 2, at this point, no longer benefits the Whites and was put in place of the Stage 3 project, which already had its studies completed years ago and was ready to be executed,” said Valenzuela.
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