Where there is water, there is life...

With this phrase, I would like to comment on the current situation regarding the water issue and the law that has been promoted for several months in our country. The initiative is not new; dozens of proposals have been presented to the Congress of the Republic over the years, and many of them reflect, rather, the particular interests of their proponents. If water is so essential for our lives, the least we can do is ensure its care, preserving it for future generations.

A good regulatory framework clearly establishes short- and long-term goals, the rights and obligations of all actors; it must create incentives for the proper use, care and preservation of water, and penalize its depletion and contamination. If this has a cost, it is something that we, as Guatemalans, must all pay. A good law is necessary, but not sufficient if it is not accompanied by good socio-environmental practices, based on the idea that: without social development, environmental care is unlikely. This is where I refer to the title of this column, Cultivando Água Boa, in Portuguese, which translated into Spanish means “Cultivating Good Water.”

This is a socio-environmental project developed and promoted by Itaipú Binacional, the largest hydroelectric plant in the world, located in Brazil. Cultivating Good Water emerged more than ten years ago as an initiative to care for and restore the water quality and the Paraná River basin, where the hydroelectric plant is located. They wisely called it “Cultivating Good Water” because to have good water, a source of life and happiness, it must be cultivated, just like the soil. Last year, the project was recognized by the United Nations as the best practice in water care for life. It stands out as a program that uses water as its backbone, the watershed as the basic management unit, aiming to protect natural resources and eradicate poverty. It has a systemic, integrated, and above all inclusive approach, since all relevant actors participate, enabling institutional coordination and engaging the population and civil society in the search for sustainable development opportunities. The results are impressive, and it has become an export model for Brazil.

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The surprising thing is that this project already exists in Guatemala and began under the leadership of former Vice Minister of Sustainable Development Ivanova Ancheta, through a cooperation agreement between the governments of Brazil and Guatemala. The project is being implemented with two pilot programs in Guatemala: one in Santa Rosa and the other in Alta Verapaz, both showing very good results. We need a good water law that promotes the best international socio-environmental practices; this is where Cultivating Good Water becomes a worthy and inspiring example to follow.