Report from Amigos del Lago Association

As a member of  Amigos del Lago Association (AALA)  I 'm please to share its last newsletter about the states of the lake and the work of the Association to improve the current situation.
As the lake water quality is essential for tourism and for real estate.


Dear Friends:

By this means the Association of Friends of Lake Atitlán send a cordial greeting.

The purpose of this letter is to inform briefly the results achieved in the process of lobbying, disclosure and socialization about the Collector Wastewater Basin Lake Atitlan Project.

At the level of the lake basin, the AALA role in the process is to inform and facilitate dialogue with local authorities, community leaders and other local sectors, this to obtain consensus and support from the people toward the Collector Wastewater Project Basin.
At the  national level  AALA has been coordinating and lobbying  with national authorities, NGOs , and cooperating countries.

Today we have progressed as follows:

1. 80% of the municipalities of the basin has been covered visiting to local authorities and groups of community leaders, in all cases the perception has been positive.

2.The message obtained product of lobbying in the basin is that treatment plants are not considered acceptable solutions for the inhabitants of the basin, so there is openness to new ideas.

3.Se has conducted a dissemination workshop with governmental and nongovernmental institutions present in Cuenca working on environmental issues and has reached consensus on the Collector as the best option for the issue of wastewater.

4.Se has made an intense lobbying at the Spanish Embassy and as a direct and immediate product, processes with the IDB INFOM and UNOPS have quite advanced, having reached a consensus on the terms of reference that will feasibility Master Plan Wastewater Basin.

Also follow the scientific monitoring. We are organizing and funding the research expedition, which is taking place from 15 to 25 April 2,015.

Thanks to your support and confidence during the first half of 2015 we will have released and socialized Project 100% of municipalities in the basin, it will have designed and implemented a strategy for local communication and the development of the Master Plan that will allow construction begin Collector Wastewater Basin of Lake Atitlan.

Sincerely.

FRIENDS ASSOCIATION LAKE ATITLÁN


Architect Eduardo Aguirre Chesley Smith
Collector Project Director Chairman Board


Anna D'Apolito
Director Ejecutiva_AALA