The 6,000 residents of the northern town of Borbon are today
celebrating a new water system.



The IOM-supported water system was a large and complex
infrastructure project that took one and a half years to complete,
at a cost of more than US$ 1.2 million.



The municipality and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
developed the design, and members of the community contributed with
their labor.



IOM Chief of Mission in Ecuador, Alejandro Guidi, explains,
“This new water system will dramatically improve the lives of
all of Borbon’s residents. The sustainability of the system
relies on Borbon’s Administrative Water Board, which has been
recognized as a model for its excellent work. So much so, that IOM
invites members of Borbon’s Water Board to share their
experiences when we conduct training sessions for other water
boards along the northern border.”



At today ‘s inaugural ceremony, the US Ambassador to Ecuador,
Linda Jewell, and the Minister of the Northern Development Unit,
Maximiliano Donoso, will be on hand to present the new water system
to the residents of Borbon, located in Esmeraldas province.



Since 2001, IOM has been carrying out social and productive
infrastructure projects in the provinces along Ecuador’s
Northern Border, with funds from USAID. Nearly 54,000 persons have
directly benefited from the Programme in Esmeraldas province alone.
This coastal province, that shares its border with the Colombian
department of Nariño, relies on fishing and agriculture for
its livelihood. In the past few years it has registered an large
number of displaced persons from Colombia.



IOM’s Northern Border Development Programme, has completed
more than 170 projects that are providing poor communities in the
border region with basic services, such as potable water,
sanitation systems, roads and bridges.



For more information contact:



María Isabel Moncayo

IOM Ecuador

Tel:593.2.4449.28 or 29

E-mail: "mailto:mmoncayo@oim.org.ec" target="_blank" title=
"">mmoncayo@oim.org.ec