In January, Beatriz Uribe Botero, the current Minister of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development of Colombia, presented the strategies that will be included in the National Development Plan (NDP) for her ministry’s corresponding sectors over the next four years to President Santos.
“The goals are ambitious and challenging,” she affirms. “One of these challenges is consolidating the structural reforms of the drinking water sector and basic cleanup.”
With regard to the NDP, Mrs. Uribe says, “The project needs an efficient and sustainable management team that can contribute to the social development, economy, and environment of the country. We will invest in the water and sewage infrastructure, with our focus on the most vulnerable population.”
The environment sector’s objectives will be concentrated on guaranteeing the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. This will be achieved through the coordination of urban, environmental and administration sectors, including production agents, the government and society.
The private sector is also an involved and responsible partner of environmental protection. Acoplasticos, the 50-year old Colombian association representing companies in the plastics, chemical, petrochemical, rubber, paint, ink and fiber sectors, stands firmly behind responsible consumption of products.
“A responsible consumption shall lead to three lines of action, the first one of which is consumption rationalization, which is in essence an issue of individual awareness,” says Carlos Alberto Garay, president of Acoplasticos. “The second concept is reuse. It is true that plastic containers are made for a short life, but they are indeed reusable.”
“The third message is to recycle when possible. The recycling process in Colombia is a process that has an important social impact,” he concludes.
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