Given the difficult water situation affecting the north central part of the country, specifically the region of Coquimbo, during the coming months, the Dominga project will make available a cistern truck -of a 10.000 liters capacity- to reinforce access to water to zones of major water stress far from the community of La Higuera.

The service will concentrate in the locality of Pelícana, Las Tórtolas, Pajaritos, La Jarilla, Talquilla, Las Breas and Agua Grande, La Cueva, in addition to five other points located in the localities of Punta Colorada and El Trapiche, located north of this community.  The above, as an aid to the complex moment they are suffering due to the lack of water and rain.

“We are very grateful because concrete measures like these allow us to avoid the death of our animals and we can maintain our cattle that for most of us is our only source of income”, states Daniel Guerrero, rancher of the area of Punta Colorada.

In summary, the help will go in direct benefit of the social groups, associations of farmers and 10 other committees of agricultural plantations that today grow olive, carnation, and citrus trees.  It is estimated that this direct contribution will reach more than 120 people and will provide the resource to more that 14 thousand animals that today must be hauled to the mountains in search of water and better feed.

For Elsa González, of the Los Pajaritos Ranchers Committee, the help granted by the company is crucial, since “a goat needs about 6 liters of water a day and people have to restrain themselves from drinking water in order for the animals to drink because there is not enough”.

We are close to a new winter period and there is no certainty of rain, in addition to the complex health scenario due to the spread of the coronavirus affecting locally, regionally, and nationwide.

“We suffer because of the drought and we always request water for the animals, but today  the situation is difficult because of the coronavirus disease, we need more water to wash our hands and avoid the infection”, explains Erika González, neighbor and rancher in Las Tórtolas.

Since the arrival of the Dominga project to La Higuera, they have been collaborating with the community in the fulfillment of early participation  projects, without considering that if implemented and approved, the initiative will contribute with 5 liters of water per second, as promised in the Environmental Impact Study (EIA).

In this case, the contribution of Dominga was created through a request by the beneficiaries themselves, which will complement the collaboration of other services of the State, in zones where it is more expensive to help, due to the cost of gasoline associated to the distribution of water.

The measure announced is in addition and complementary to the commitment assumed by the mining company in its environmental impact study where it agreed to the installation of a desalination plant where it will obtain 100% of the water for its industrial processes and will allocate 5 liters of potable water per second for the community, doubling the availability of the resource for human consumption.