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Model
reservoir
to
improve crop production
February,
2006
The
implementation of a model reservoir for the
improvement of irrigation water quality in Nievería
is a very important step in decontaminating the
vegetables that Lima consumes.
Nievería
is located in the eastern cone of Lima, which
provides to the capital approximately 35% of its
vegetables. For these crops the water of the river Rímac
is utilized. However, a study of the quality of its
waters, carried out within the framework of the
interinstitutional initiative “Farmers in the
City”, found high contamination with pathogens and
other pollutants harmful to the health, with
which the staple food crops are impregnated when
irrigated with the water.
The Nievería reservoir is the second of its type
that is constructed in the eastern cone. The other
one is located in Carapongo and, according to the
specialists, it has managed to diminish the presence
of pathogenic fecal and parasitic coliform bacteria
in the vegetables, to an level acceptable for the
consumption of fresh vegetables.
The
reservoirs use very simple systems and use the
waters that pass through the irrigation canals.
These are stored in a reservoir of 722 m3 of water
for 8-14 days. Neither chemicals nor special
equipment is required, which means that they are
ideal for the inhabitants with limited resources
that live in the area.
Eng. Julio Moscoso, of CEPIS, explained that the
reservoirs have been conceived in order to fulfill a
dual purpose, since while they are used to improve
the quality of the water for the purpose of
irrigation, they are also used to raise fish,
which generates an extra income for the inhabitants.
The species selected is tilapia, a species that
adapts to the area, feeds on algae, and is
experiencing in a boom in the market, especially in
the supermarkets of Lima. Discussions have already
started with the supermarkets about marketing the
fish to them.
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