With 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors and following leading the management of Nuevosur, a water company in Maule, for four years, Juan Pablo González took over as the new regional manager of Essbio at the beginning of April.
In his first interview in this new role at Essbio, he addressed the challenges in the Ñuble region in a context of climate change and the steps they are taking to ensure the sustainability of the service with an environmental, social and economic perspective.
“The challenge of climate change has forced us to anticipate works that have allowed us to increase the resilience of our production systems in the face of two scenarios: extreme drought and a greater frequency of hydrometeorological events, which generate river flooding, with flooding and increased turbidity in surface sources. Bringing forward investments and generating protocols for these types of critical episodes has borne fruit, allowing us to successfully overcome these climate emergencies, in which we have ensured the continuity of service to our clients,” he explained.
What works have been developed or are in the pipeline to strengthen operational infrastructure?
We are building the company’s first reservoir in Ninhue, which is also the first in the region. This project will come into operation in the second half of the year and has a capacity of 40,000 m3. We have invested more than $2 billion in this project to ensure service today and in the future. In addition, three reservoirs in Chillán have been built and put into operation, which have a storage capacity of 7,200 m3, which makes the system more robust.
Additionally, I would like to highlight the impact generated by one of the emblematic and interregional works that we inaugurated last year: the Quillón-Florida drinking water interconnection, which allowed us to address the water shortage in both communes, with a design that involved building a 24-kilometer pipeline to transport water from one area to another.
What other actions are being taken to ensure the quality of the drinking water service?
Climate change has also generatedor modifications in the quality of the sources, which has challenged us to invest to maintain the quality of the service. Not only is there less water; its composition has also changed and we have worked on that, allocating resources to strengthen our water treatment plants, having more robust systems for treatment. In complex weather events – as we have seen recently – river turbidity can grow 50 times the average value, which has forced us to have technology that allows us to reduce and/or mitigate extreme turbidity events.
How do you incorporate sustainability into your operations?
At Essbio we have incorporated sustainability into our business strategy. We have focused on sustainable management, combining social, environmental and economic perspectives. This includes new challenges. For example, at an environmental level we have proposed the management of natural capital through the monitoring of sensitive water bodies, highlighting the importance of water for future development.
In the social sphere, meanwhile, we have taken an active role in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, where we have developed a series of initiatives to promote equal opportunities, implementing policies with gender perspectives.
Regarding network renewal, what investments are planned?
In our investment plan we always contemplate resources aimed at renewing both drinking water and wastewater networks in all communes. This, following a survey of the service conditions and having as a horizon the expansion and development of the cities. The population is increasing and the infrastructure has to be prepared to support this growth.
Customers
González also highlighted the results of the 2023 Customer Perception Survey of healthcare companies, released by the Superintendency of Healthcare Services. Essbio was ranked among the best rated in the industry, reaching 52.1%. “This is due to the joint work of all areas of the company. This index shows us that we are on the right track and also challenges us to continue optimizing our service for the benefit of the communities we serve.”
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