The initiative financed by the Regional Government of Coquimbo sought to strengthen the water management of Water User Organizations, through the implementation of BPGH protocols, contemplating in its final stage a certification process that also promotes a continuous improvement plan.
“BPGH: Learnings and Challenges of a Quality Standard for Organizational Water Management”, is the name of the Virtual Seminar organized as the closing of the FIC 2016 project “Good Practices for Organizational Water Management: Traceability and Transparency in Water Management”, which It was financed by the Regional Government of the Coquimbo Region, and executed by the PROMMRA Laboratory of the University of La Serena.
The event, which had a high number of participants, sought to present the results obtained after the execution of the project, in addition to recounting the experience in the implementation of the BPGH.
As for the speakers who were part of the seminar, the day began with the presentation “Good Practices for Organizational Water Management (BPGH): Traceability and Transparency in Water Management. Synthesis of Results” by Dr. Héctor Reyes, Director of the BPGH project.
Alejandra Marín, Distribution Engineer of the Surveillance Board of the Elqui River and its Tributaries, was also part of the event, with the presentation: “Implementation of Good Practices of Organizational Water Management: Experience from the Surveillance Board of the Elqui River and its tributaries” . The third and last presentation was given by César Espíndola, Director of Strategic Development and Quality of the University of La Serena, with the presentation titled "Quality, Efficiency and Development: A Necessary Triad in Organizations."
Regarding the importance of the event, the project director, Dr. Héctor Reyes, emphasized that “the large number of attendees, including three regional councilors, demonstrates the interest that exists in this matter, but not only because of the fact of the current situation, but because, in effect, improving water management is a value in itself. That is, being able to demonstrate through certification that the practices applied by an organization to manage water resources comply with a standard that guarantees transparency and traceability.”
PROJECT
The initiative financed by the Innovation Fund for Competitiveness, FIC – R 2016, of the GORE aimed to design, implement, launch, transfer and disseminate Good Practices for Water Management (BPGH) protocols, in order to strengthen water management of Water User Organizations. Its execution began in 2018 and ended in 2021.
The direct beneficiaries of the project were the Surveillance Board of the Elqui River and its Tributaries and the irrigation communities in the board's area of influence. On the other hand, its indirect beneficiaries include public and private organizations, which are linked to the administration and management of water resources.
Regarding the experience with the project, Alejandra Marín, Distribution Engineer of the Surveillance Board of the Elqui River and its Tributaries, indicates that “it constitutes great support for the work of the OAU in their functions of water administration and distribution, because not always The knowledge on the subject is completely available and because many times a work is carried out that is very intuitive and has a long tradition, but that requires strengthening its actions, especially when we are faced with a situation of water scarcity such as the "What happens today where there is greater demand for the resource and there is also greater demand for timely and effective responses to user problems."
BENEFITS OF THE APPLICATION OF BPGH
Water management in Chile does not have instances that promote a comprehensive model that allows for continuous improvement in the work carried out by those who are part of this activity. In this context, the BPGH model is a set of technical recommendations applicable to the management of water resources, which are aimed at contributing to water security, from the point of view of quantity, quality and sustainability.
The experience gained allows us to confirm that Water User Organizations take on the challenge of reviewing their procedures and adjusting them according to the BGPH protocols, and that these are applicable both at the level of oversight boards and grassroots organizations such as community communities. waters.
PROCESS OF CERTIFICATION
The certification of the BPGH is part of this system that was developed in the project and includes three stages, the first is the request to undergo the process, and which gives rise to the second phase, which is the visit of the audit team, where the evidence that demonstrates compliance with the practices and the audit report is prepared. Finally, in the last stage, and according to the results, the certification opinion is issued that will establish whether the organization accredits and in what section. Likewise, depending on the result, the organization presents its improvement plan with a view to the next certification cycle.
Written by Camila González, Quitai Anko Water Technology Center Consortium