From June 9 until June 22, a team from Blue Deal Peru went on the second work visit for 2024. The team spoke with local water authorities about many topics and organised workshops. We also saw the results of our scholarship programme.
The team started the journey with having a meeting with the board of directors of the National Water Authority (ANA) in Lima. We shared and coordinated themes of common interest, such as water and climate adaptation, and the strengthening of the water councils’ work.
Visit to Tumbes
We also visited our 2 Blue Deal regions: Tumbes and Piura to work with our regional partners. In Tumbes, we spoke with the Water Resources Council Tumbes and its technical team about the urgent needs of their employees, and about the key role of having better communication among themselves and a long-term strategy. We also visited the Governor of Tumbes for an update on our project in the region.
Sedimentation of the 2 main rivers in the mangrove areas was also a topic for discussion, sharing concerns and ideas to deal with this situation that threatens the mangrove environment. We met and talked with representatives from the local government, university and civil society organisations about water management, water quality and water harvesting contribution to reforestation processes. Our Young Expert shared her experiences at the World Water Forum in Indonesia and we ended our visit in Tumbes selecting the new Young Expert who will work with the local and Dutch team from 2024 to 2026.
Visit to Piura
In Piura, we also met with representatives of the Water Resources Council Chira-Piura and its technical team. Discussions included strengthening the water council and cooperation on flood control and urban drainage plans in Piura with the National Infrastructure Authority. Carlo van Oijen from Wageningen University and intern at the Dutch water authority Noorderzijlvest presented his research results on flood risk reduction in the Piura river basin. Another Dutch colleague, Jelle Agema, visited forest plantations as part of a feasibility study on water management and carbon credits funded by NWB Fund. He was impressed by the large forest and the communities’ conservation activities. As part of this study we held a workshop given by Farm Tree to the technical team and AIDER, the organisation that will carry out the study. Additionally, we discussed the objectives and target group for a training on operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment plants in Piura.
First results of scholarship programme
We are pleased to see the first results of our scholarship programme: support to university students to get their professional titles on water management. The first student got her professional title with a thesis on ecosystem services graded with outstanding marks. The second student is done with her field research on water saving on rice production. Her results are now being validated amongst the local organisations.
In Lima, we learned about the work of the ANA’s on transboundary water management with Ecuador, which also influences Piura and Tumbes. We also shared ideas with the colleagues on water management, water culture, participation and social inclusion. Overall, we look back at a very productive work visit and look forward to continuing the work with our partners.