On the shores of La Ballena beach, in the Los Quinquelles sector, the first desalination plant in the Valparaíso Region has resumed operations, seeking to supply drinking water to more than 800 people in this sector of the La Ligua commune.
On Thursday afternoon, with the presence of the mayor of La Ligua, Patricio Pallares Valenzuela, representatives from Coca-Cola Chile and its bottling partner, Coca-Cola Embonor, the Amulén Foundation, members of the Rural Potable Water Committee (APR), and local residents, the modern project "Water for Los Quinquelles" began operations after nearly a year's pause due to a break at the water intake point. Furthermore, automation processes have been implemented that will allow for a fivefold increase in water production for the community.
The “Water for Los Quinquelles” project aims to improve the operation of the area's desalination plants through a new intake point and automated processes. This innovation will increase the water supply to 50 liters per person per day and is projected to reach a maximum production of 105 liters per person per day.
The mayor of La Ligua, Patricio Pallares Valenzuela, while expressing his joy at the realization of this innovative project, unique in the Region, pointed out that these initiatives give impetus to his administration to continue working on progress for the community.
It should be noted that this initiative arose from a public-private partnership between the Municipality of La Ligua, the Amulén Foundation, and Coca-Cola Chile, through The Coca-Cola Company Foundation, Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF). The Chilean company Remote Waters was responsible for the design and execution of the project.
In this regard, the executive director of the Amulén Foundation, Antonia Rivera, explained that the La Ligua commune is one of the most affected by water scarcity and, due to this complex situation, this strategic alliance was created, with the objective of increasing the water supply for each inhabitant of this area, and thus improving their quality of life.
The project benefits the Rural Potable Water Committee (APR) and the residents of Los Quinquelles, in the Playa La Ballena sector, comprising 805 people who typically obtain their water from various sources, including desalination plants, private water trucks, and, due to the water emergency, water trucks provided by the regional government and the municipality. Nationwide, only five APRs are supplied by desalination plants, and the Los Quinquelles APR is the first in the region.
Valentina González, Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability Manager for Coca-Cola Chile, stated that in March 2022, a storm surge damaged the seawater intake point, affecting the municipal desalination plants and causing a prolonged service interruption. Following this, different methods for safely obtaining ocean water were studied. Furthermore, a proposal was made to automate plant processes related to water intake, variable monitoring, tank filling, and failure prevention, among others, for remote control. This will allow for increased operating time and production.
While the Municipality of La Ligua is responsible for operating the plants, the Los Quinquelles Rural Potable Water Committee (APR) handles water distribution via tanker trucks. Therefore, the project included technical training for local residents to provide them with the tools for operating and maintaining the desalination plants.
Regarding this, the president of the APR Los Quinquelles Committee, Rosa Cifuentes, explained that this initiative will help improve the quality of life of the residents, since they will have a better collection and production of excellent quality water and thus improve their daily activities.