The project will establish a network for monitoring air and water quality in cities, increase access to environmental information and create a national laboratory for air, water and soil
WASHINGTON, January 11, 2017 – The World Bank Board of Directors approved a US$40 million loan today to improve environmental control in Peru. The financing will seek to enhance and expand environmental quality services, including environmental monitoring and the dissemination of information regarding its benefits.
Environmental degradation disproportionately affects the health and productivity of the poorest, most vulnerable population and impedes sustainable development. Currently, environmental quality control in Peru has few standards and insufficient capacity for monitoring and analysis. Access to environmental information is limited and there are few channels for citizens’ informed participation.
“This project will help to provide quality control for monitoring air, water and soil pollution, contributing to the development of environmentally sustainable industries, with an emphasis on protecting the health of the most vulnerable population and helping to reduce conflicts,” said Alberto Rodríguez, World Bank Director for Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. “It is also a key investment for bringing the country up to the standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).”
The project will strengthen the Environmental Evaluation and Control Agency (OEFA, in Spanish) and the National Environmental Information System (SINIA, in Spanish) by facilitating information exchange, expanding capacities of monitoring and analysis systems, and revising and developing policies and standards for environmental quality control.
Specifically, the project will finance a national environmental laboratory with the latest technology, which will enable the analysis of 56 water, 18 air and 34 soil quality parameters.
Activities will also include improvements to air and water monitoring networks throughout the country. The project will finance studies to improve the regulatory framework in this area. Additionally, it will establish 19 monitoring stations, nine mobile units to monitor quality of surface water and three for underground water in the Rimac River basin in Lima, among others. Additionally, six networks will be implemented to monitor air quality in Trujillo, Chiclayo, Iquitos, Huancayo, Cusco and Piura.
The project will also significantly improve the environmental information available to the public and decision-makers for environmental quality control. For example, it will develop public access platforms to meet the information needs of different audiences and a software program to support the environmental ministry’s control office in addressing environmental violations.
The US$40 million loan will have an implementation period of five years and a repayment period of one year, with a five-year grace period.
