Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Protecting the Nacaome River Basin

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

TEGUCIGALPA, Jul 25 2011 (IPS) - Communities in the southern Honduran department of Valle are taking the first steps towards reforestation of the basin of the Nacaome River, which provides water and electrical power to some 120,000 people who live in the surrounding area. Rosario Molina, one of the leaders of the initiative, said they will begin by establishing a board to supervise the fulfillment of commitments to protect the river basin. There are plans for the irrigation of 4,300 hectares of farmland over the next three years, which means “it is crucial to begin preserving the forest that surrounds the basin.”

The initiative is supported by the local and departmental authorities, Italian cooperation agencies and the United Nations, which is also contributing to the construction of an aqueduct that will supply water to all of the communities in Valle, one of the poorest departments in Honduras.