second aqueduct is a reality

For 30 years, the city of Ibagué has been working on a large-scale project: the construction of a second aqueduct to strengthen its water storage and distribution capacity. Although the development of this macroproject has taken, in the last three years, the Ibaguereña Water and Sewage Company (Ibal) has focused its efforts on finally materializing it and giving full functionality to the system, which is months away from giving it functionality. .

Although each administration over time prioritized differently and made changes to the designs and layouts, which slowed down progress, Erika Melissa Palma Huertas, general manager of Ibal, emphasizes that currently the project is 100 percent connected, with more of 50 kilometers of pipeline guaranteed and installed, and water flowing from the catchment.

As Palma explains, Ibagué has 38,400 cubic meters of water storage. With the new aqueduct, a capacity of 15,000 cubic meters will be increased, an expansion that not only guarantees the continuous presentation of the service, but also improves the city’s response to climate variability.

Ibagué will no longer be ‘Combeima dependent’

The new aqueduct will be fed from a different source than the current one, which is the Combeima River basin, which provides 85 percent of the city’s water. Now the Cocora source will be the new supplier, helping to mitigate the problems caused by climatic events such as the La Niña and El Niño phenomena, which have affected both the turbidity and the reduction in the flow of the Combeima.

“We will stop being ‘Combeima dependents’. We will then have a second source of supply called Cocora, along with Combeima and Cay. “This will allow us not only to leave a city with water for today but also for tomorrow,” Palma highlights.

The infrastructure is designed to supply 800 liters per second, benefiting not only the urban center, but also the expansion areas of Ibagué, projecting its usefulness for more than 30 years.

Regarding the operation of the second aqueduct, water has begun to be introduced into the pipe and the necessary adjustments are being made for its full operation. “We are taking a period of another month in this exercise to get it ready”, assures the General Manager of Ibal. The goal is for the aqueduct to be fully operational by the second half of 2024.

Two years of goals achieved

In addition to the second aqueduct, Ibal has made significant investments in Ibagué’s infrastructure, including the optimization of two treatment plants in La Pola, which had not received investment in 52 years: these improvements ensure that the plants will be operational and effective as well. for another three decades.

In the southern sector of the city, where there are 16 community aqueducts, the company has made progress in the construction of a drinking water treatment plant in Boquerón to offer this service to more than 60,000 Ibaguereños.

This will guarantee vital and quality liquid for these communities, which historically have not had access to water suitable for human consumption.

Palma highlights that Ibagué has been a pioneer at the national level in the implementation of water infrastructure projects financed through planning instruments “works for taxes” through capital gains. An example of this is the construction of phase III of the Complementary Aqueduct, which consisted of the installation of seven kilometers of pipe that connects the South Tank with the 10,000 cubic meter storage tank in the industrial zone.

This work was possible thanks to an approximate investment of 18,000 million pesos, which benefits the Ibaguereños of communes 7, 8 and 9, who will be able to enjoy the service without interruptions.

“With all these actions we seek the functionality of the project and bring drinking water to more than 200,000 Ibagué residents of communes 8, 9 and the expansion zone of the city of Ibagué”adds the General Manager of Ibal.

Palma confidently declares: “Ibagué does have water”a statement supported by a series of significant achievements and advances in the city’s water infrastructure, which reflect the joint and sustained effort of the human team behind the entity.

With the combination of new constructions, optimization of existing facilities, the implementation of innovative financial models and the support of local leaders, over the last three years, Ibagué not only guarantees the water supply for its inhabitants, but also feels the foundations for sustainable and resilient growth. “Water is life, water is development; and that is what we need to guarantee”concludes Palma, reaffirming Ibal’s commitment to the well-being and future of Ibaguereños.