UNDP - GEF Project RLA/99/G31

FREPLATAEnvironmental Protection

of the Río de la Plata and its Maritime Front:

Pollution Prevention and Control and Habitat Restoration

FREPLATACARP CTMFM

Argentina Uruguay

THE FREPLATA PROJECT

Bi-national joint initiative of the Argentinean Republic and the Republic of Uruguay. It intends to provide some response to the need for actions aimed at protecting the environment of the Río de la Plata and its Maritime Front, and at the sustainable development of its uses and resources.

The project is executed by the Administrative Commission for the Río de la Plata (CARP) and the Bi-national Commission for the Maritime Front (CTMFM); funded with resources from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), with contributions from other cooperation agencies, and with funds contributed by both countries, and it is implemented by the United Nations Developing Programme (UNDP).

SAPStrategic Action Programme

Additional stress reduction measures to meet causes for aquatic environment degradation

T H E P L A T A R I V E R

A traunsboundary fluvio and fluvio-marine water system of 35.500 km2, unique at a global level shared by Argentine & Uruguay.

It is the most seriously threatened basinin South America and among the 10 mostvulnerable in the world (WWF-2007).

16 million people live along its coastlinewhich concentrates the main industrial,portuary and economic activities of both countries.

It is the threshold of the Plata Basin, the second largest in South America(3.1 million km2).

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:

- Mouth width: 230 km- Average depth: 10 m- Flow Rate: 22.000 m3/sec

Is the oceanic area adjacent to the outer limit of the Plata River. It includes the Common Fishing Zonewith an approximate area of 216.000 km2.

It is an area of high biological diversity, resulting in a significant fishing abundance.

Depth: variable. The average depth at the mouth of the Plata River is 10 m. The depth in the Common Fishing Areacan reach 3.000 m or more.

T H E M A R I T I M E F R O N T

Agreement and commitment of a wide and diverse group of people from both governments and civil society. Active participation in SAP development.

K E Y T O S U C C E S S

The Physical Boundaries and Legal

Frameowork

What results expect the Stakeholders in the long run by means of tackling the priority issues identified in the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis.

The Ecosystem Quality Objectives (EQOs)

1. Safe water for population health, recreational use and aquatic biota development.

It is essential to adopt adequate measures to prevent, remediate and control present and future pollution.

Operational Objectives needed to attain this EQO:

1.1. Prevent and reduce input of polluting agents from land and others (i.e. industrial and sewage effluents).

1.2. Prevent and reduce pollution caused by aquatic activities.

1.3. Remediate highly polluted sites.

2. Protection of priority habitats and ecological sustainability of living aquatic resources.

It is essential to prevent and reduce the impact on the biological system protecting priority habitats and threatened species and securing the ecological sustainability of the aquatic resources.

Operational Objectives needed to attain the EQO:

2.1. Contribute to the protection of the major threatened species.

2.2. Protect significant endangered habitats and restoring degraded areas.

2.3. Encourage responsible fishing practices.

The Ecosystem Quality Objectives (EQOs)

Buenos Aires City Metropolitan Area:Master Sanitation Plan

YEAR 2011Base Line: U$S 1,231,000,000Adittional Cost: U$S 1,130,000

THE CONTEXT

Surface: 1.800 km2

Water and sewer service foralmost 10.000.000 inhabitants

Sewer collectors receive direct of spills of

3400 industrial plants: regarded as high critical priority

2 million m3/day of wastewaters containing domestic and industrial

effluents are discharged withouttreatment to the coast of

the Plata River

INVESTMENT SCOPE

• Sewer service expansion

• Effluent interception

• Transport

• Main system decentralization

• Effluent treatment

• Emissaries

• Treatment and disposition of biosolids and monitoring

Buenos Aires City Metropolitan Area:Matanza - Riachuelo Basin Remediation Plan

Investment (over 5 years): U$S 1,800,000,000 First phase (18 months): U$S 370,000,000

INVESTMENT SCOPE

• To restore the environmental quality of the basin

• Construction of new sewers infrastructure,

• Reconversión of polluting companies, effective control policies,

• And interjurisdictional agrrements

THE CONTEXT

Basin Surface: 2.034 km2

4.5 million inhabitants

55% without access to sewer service

35% without access to potable water

368.000 m3/day of wastewaters are discharged to the basin

Only 5% received some kind of treatment

3.036 industries: 88.500 m3/day of liquid

effluents discharged to the river.

42 garbage dump sites

Montevideo Western Metropolitan Area:Montevideo Bay Remediation Plan

INVESTMENT SCOPE

• Coverage Extensions of Sanitation and Rain Drainage in western area:

• Environmental improvement of Montevideo Bay.

• Construction of a new sewage outfall: watewaters will be discharged directly to the Río de la Plata

• Management of sanitation and drainage service

• Monitoring

THE CONTEXT

Montevideo is the Capital City

of Uruguay.

Population: 1.300 million

The PSU is in its 4th phase

The Bay of Montevideo received the wastewaters

of the western area of Montevideo

and its metropolitan area.

YEAR 2011Base Line: U$S 140,000,000Adittional Cost: U$S 646,000

• The need for a bi-national strategic perspective to meet transboundary environmental issues, ensuring consistency between SAP objectives, proposed actions and national policies

• SAP projects were declared “of

environmental interest” and budgetary items were allocated to carry out proposed actions.

• Creating an inter-ministry commission for the coordination and monitoring of the SAP and of the National Action Plans.

GOVERNMENTS & STAKEHOLDERS COMMITMENT WITH SAP’S GOALS

August 28th 2007Montevideo, Uruguay

SAP endorsement by the Project Coordination Committee.

Support from both countriesat ministerial level and by the Commissions.

Preparing the Ground for SAP Approval and Implementation

Some Learned LessonsOur experience is that is advisable to begin to implement confidence creating and consensus building strategies from very early stages and setting short and long term goals.

1.Binational intersectorial working groups:Allowed in parallel with the process of developing the SAP, the generation of16 tools for enhanced national and transboundary environmental management (catalythic role),some of them have been included in the national government policies.

2. Disseminating the information:The project has developed procedures and tools for the management of environmental information and has incorporated them into its own Integrated Information System.

3. The project strengthened the capabilities of governmental agencies and civil society: 72 technical agreements were signed with key governmental, scientifical agencies and NGOs.

This achivements resulted in the creation of a bi-national cooperation environment among stake holders and facilitated the SAP process elaboration and approval.

For more information, please visit our web site:

www.freplata.org