The IDB approved a $1.2 million grant to assist Chile’s National Environmental Commission (CONAMA) in preparing a mathematical model and an action plan to clean up pollution in Concepción and San Vicente bays.
Both bays, which are located about 400 kilometers southwest of Santiago, have long been subjected to runoff from heavy industries, such as petrochemical and steel manufacturing; waste discharges from shipbuilding and fisheries; and domestic sewage from the city of Talcahuano. Because pollution in the area has led to a deterioration of the quality of life, government agencies have made environmental recovery of the region a priority.
As part of the project, a three-dimensional, dynamic, time-variable mathematical model will be built to provide information about hydrodynamics, currents, dispersion and water quality in the two bays.
The model will be used to evaluate changes produced in the environment after applying different measures for controlling wastewater under hypothetical scenarios of the pollution control program. The control will be enforced by CONAMA with the participation of industry, municipal officials, port authorities and others responsible for the discharges.
Resources for the project are being provided by the Japanese Trust Fund for Consultancy Services, which is administered by the IDB.