INDAP meets with its regional managers: modernization and water rights were key issues

Regional managers of Indap Irrigation of all Chile met at a meeting in Santiago headed by the national director of the institution and the head of the Irrigation Department.

Structure the work of the irrigation team of the Institute for Agricultural Development (Indap) and adapt the programs that meet these needs around the challenges imposed by the country’s water reality and modern regulations such as the new Water Code, is the goal set at the meeting of regional managers of this area held in November.

Due to the structural drought of more than a decade in Chile, the decrease in rainfall, the increase in temperatures, “irrigation, water management and access to water become critical”said Santiago Rojas. Given this, he added that “the work carried out by the Indap Irrigation Department is very important, as well as the coordination between the irrigation counterparts of all the regions.”

Strengthen and better organize the teams, modernize and Making the regulations of the programs more flexible -to increase amounts and consider other obstacles such as property titles-, in addition to working in a context of adaptation to climate change, are some of those challenges for the authority, which also targeted the “Capacity strengthening, since it is not just about implementing works, but after that we must provide support to Indap users”.

Water resources

The national head of the Department of Irrigation, Jorge Silva, pointed out that “Indap was too small for the word irrigation around water.” He indicated that “today there are other issues that are also worrying for small farmers, such as sanitation and access, and that go beyond irrigation. We must get closer to a comprehensive water resource.”

Regarding the legal requirements for the sector, Silva explained that “we have a new (Water) Code, since April 6 of this year. This mandate to Indap to disseminate these modifications, but also to small farmers tells them that they must regularize their rights and gives deadlines for this to happen: 18 months for most farmers and 5 years as an exception for farmers using INDAP ”

This period, he emphasized, although it seems like a long time, “the truth is that we have calculated that it is a very short time, we have very limited deadlines and we have to intervene very quickly so that no farmer is left without their right. That is a priority for us and today we are going to address in depth how to address this problem that we have and in which we are against time.”

Management and objectives in the voice of the regions

Among the regional managers who attended this meeting, Camila Arrepol, head of irrigation at Indap Atacama, reported that they have “placed great emphasis on associative works for conduction mainly and also on the PRI for technification and energizing through non-conventional renewable energies“. With a view to 2023, he pointed out, the line of work will be “technification, construction and giving strength to the Legal Water Bond”.

Verónica Soto, The person in charge of Irrigation Indap Bío Bío, commented, meanwhile, that, although the water deficit is less severe in her region, it “is increasing” in several sectors and there are also other problems with emergencies such as floods in Alto Biobío, or the areas in the province of Arauco “that do not have access to water”.

In line with the general commitment of the national irrigation team, Soto celebrated “that we can bring together and get to know, above all, regions that are so far from the center” and that from this new impulse we can “improve the quality of life in general for farmers”. p>