Editor TLN
In a presentation in Cañete, a beneficiary city of the FIC “I+T technologies to mitigate water scarcity”, the work plan of this initiative was presented, which seeks to improve the lives of the population of three communes of the Biobío Region, through the implementation of technologies for water harvesting.
The academic from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Bío-Bío University, Dr. Luis Santana, is the leader of this project that seeks to use low-cost non-conventional technologies, such as the harvesting of water, fog and rain, in addition to the recent technological innovation created by Santana in collaboration with researchers Orlando Parra and Víctor Concha from the Department of Chemistry UBB.
This discovery consists of a solution based on silica polymers, which, when injected or mixed into some type of soil, causes a reaction that allows it to harden.
Santa Bárbara, Cañete and Hualqui are the communes selected by the FIC “I+T technologies to mitigate water scarcity”, because they have higher operating expenses for tank trucks and have great agrotourism potential
Regarding this FIC, Marcia Órdenes, municipal administrator of Cañete, representing Mayor Jorge Radonich, pointed out that this launch is very important for the commune, because one of the mayor’s biggest concerns is the water deficit that they are currently fighting with trucks. cisterns Likewise, she highlighted that this initiative brings concrete solutions that they can replicate as an institution. “In rural development, these low-cost technologies such as rainwater accumulators are being applied, but other solutions are also being brought that allow us to open up this spectrum and be able to help even more these sectors that have been affected by this water deficit. ”, pointed out Orders.
For his part, Leonídas Peña, regional councilor of the Province of Arauco, explained the importance of this type of project. “I think that in the times we are living in, not only Chile, but worldwide, water scarcity is very strong” to which he added that “taking advantage of the rain and fog are initiatives that the University of Bío-Bío is going to carry out the practice with beneficiaries of the Cañete commune and this is extremely important because they are going to work with the young people, with the high schools and I believe that it is the young people who have to take the lead in this global problem”, he mentioned about education that he hopes to offer this FIC to young people, so that they know these technologies and the reality and importance of caring for water.
Finally, from the Bío-Bío University, the technology manager, Tatiana Rioseco, indicated that “with this project and the launch, we were able to realize that sometimes the actors that have to do with water scarcity are not always talking to each other. In addition, giving it an approach with agrotourism potential has been an innovative way of integrating these areas that are so different and multidisciplinary, so what I hope with this project is that coordination can be created between all these people and all the relevant actors”, Rioseco concluded regarding the challenges they envision for the future.
