In Pitalito, Gigante and Garzón, the head of the portfolio, Catalina Velasco, made a tour to start up drinking water and basic sanitation initiatives.
Diary of Huila, economy
By: Gloria Camargo
In a marathon tour of several municipalities in the department of Huila, the Minister of Housing, City and Territory, Catalina Velasco, learned about several of the needs of the territory in terms of differential housing, drinking water and basic sanitation.
During her visit, the head of the portfolio also carried out various activities in Gigante, Garzón and Pitalito, where she highlighted the importance of working together with local governments to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of Huila.
South of Huila
In her first activity of the day, Minister Velazco met with various mayors from the region at a work table in the municipality of Pitalito. And during the meeting, the most urgent needs in terms of housing, water and sanitation were discussed, and possible solutions to improve these situations were analyzed.
In Valle de Laboyos, the national official handed over the project for the storm sewerage system in commune 1 of Pitalito, together with the mayor Édgar Muñoz. The construction of this system, which optimizes the rainwater collection process, had an investment of $2,904 million from the Nation and will benefit more than 80,000 inhabitants of the area.
Juan Pablo Torres, one of the beneficiaries of the project, indicated with reference to this work that “in commune 1 we experienced a flood collapse for 16 years, we had heavy downpours, but we were already able to confirm that the connector did work. We slept peacefully, I am very grateful for that construction.
In her statements, Minister Velasco highlighted the importance of continuing to work on the constructions that are being carried out in the Huila region, to improve the living conditions of its inhabitants.
“We know that we must continue with the good things, we must finish the works and move forward with matters that are advancing, because Total Peace is social and community development, well-being of children and families. So today is a day of joy,” said the minister.
Project in progress
The construction of the rainwater collector in commune one of the municipality of Pitalito, Huila, is a work that will benefit more than 30,000 people in the area.
The collector has a total network of 2,072 linear meters and 32 drains, which completely solves the flooding problem suffered by the inhabitants of the Cálamo, Villa Matilde, San Mateo, Conjunto Santa Clara neighborhoods and the surroundings of Villa Olímpica.
It should be remembered that in 2020 contract No. 814 was signed between the Municipal Administration of Pitalito, together with the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory, which had the purpose of “joining efforts for the execution of the project called: construction of collectors of the storm sewerage system in commune one of the municipality of Pitalito – Huila”.
Velasco Campuzano together with the municipal mayor, Edgar Muñoz Torres, put the collector into operation, in an event that the community also attended. The work is part of the Living Region development plan and is one of the most important projects that have been carried out in the area.
Faced with the issue, the Municipal Roads Secretary, Edgar Javier Bambagué, explained that the collector will solve the problem of flooding suffered by the inhabitants of this area of the municipality during heavy rains. And also, he stressed that the delivery of this work is a sample of the commitment of the National Government and the Mayor’s Office of Pitalito with the well-being and quality of life of citizens.
This work has a direct impact on the lives of 8,000 resident inhabitants and will benefit a total of 30,000 people in the area. The collector will allow wastewater from the inhabitants of the area to be adequately treated and will contribute to the preservation of the environment.
Within the framework of the inauguration event, Mayor Muñoz Torres highlighted the technical support that the Vice Ministry of Water and Basic Sanitation has provided to the municipality of Pitalito within the framework of the Collector Comuna Cuatro – Aldea de La Libertad project, which will benefit more than 21,000 inhabitants of the area.
Likewise, he highlighted the interest of this portfolio of the National Government in contributing to the construction of the houses of the Mi Casa Ya program in the Altos del Guadual and Altos del Guadual II projects.
“We are very happy today, here at the Pitalito Mayor’s Office, sharing with the community that was given a Rainwater Collector in Comuna Uno. We saw the images when it rained and the houses were flooded, which really was an immense difficulty and They inform me that the downpour of the last days did not have any mishap, that means that the collector is working very well and that we are making progress,” Velasco said, during the symbolic delivery on the fifth floor of the La Chapolera Municipal Administrative Center.
Housing units
Meanwhile, during her visit to the department of Huila, the Minister of Housing also referred during the work session, which took place prior to the event with the mayors of the south of the department, issues related to new housing projects and improvements were addressed. household.
“We are already making progress to work together in the course of this year 2023,” said Catalina Velasco. In addition, several visits were made to rural areas of the region to deliver homes to families in vulnerable situations.
In the village of El Batán, jurisdiction of the municipality of Garzón, together with the mayor Leonardo Valenzuela, the head of portfolio supervised the progress of the Mi Casa en el Campo program, a project with which 100 rural homes are expected to be delivered, and which began its construction stage more than a month ago.
“Here in our municipality, in a rural area, thanks to an agreement that we celebrate with the National Government through the Ministry of Housing, with the Government of Huila and with a great contribution made by the Municipal Administration, we are advancing in the delivery of these 100 homes to transform the lives of these Garzone families, changing their lives, making this dream come true and above all, improving the quality of life of the inhabitants of the municipality: generating employment and economic dynamism, but most importantly, making our municipality overcome the homelessness barrier.
This is the first time that free housing is seen in the rural area of the municipality of Garzón, thanks to this agreement that we managed to develop in the present Administration”, indicated the president of this town, Leonardo Valenzuela.
On the other hand, Yolima Sánchez, one of the beneficiaries of the ‘Mi Casa en el Campo’ program, expressed that “this is a great happiness, it is something that one does not believe. Already being here is different, thank God the dream came true and it is a great blessing ».
Finally, in the rural area of the municipality of Gigante, exactly in the village of La Vega, another work day was also completed, where the delivery of rural homes was carried out. In this area of the department, the construction of 100 homes for the same number of families is projected, for which a total of 200 families in the department will be benefited, with an investment of $14 billion.
