On Sunday morning, several teams from the Regional Secretariat of Agriculture visited the Region of Coquimbo to assess the damage generated by last Saturday's 6.7-degree earthquake. The work intensified on Monday, and much of the effort has gone to the Province of Limari and Elqui, where the greatest amount of damage has been reported, especially in irrigation works.
The Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Walker, has given his support to these inspections as he ordered this deployment to know the affectations in situ, which will allow the government to respond to the requirements and needs of the inhabitants, "we are finding out all of the requirements and needs that the region, the people who inhabit the rural world, have. We are checking channels, reservoirs, and all of the infrastructure problems we may have in the area. All of the services of the Ministry of Agriculture are deployed in the region to attend any need that any person who lives in the rural world can have as soon as possible."
"We have made a territorial deployment, both in the provinces of Elqui and Limarí, in places where channels have been affected by the earthquake. The truth is that we have found different scenarios but in general there are specific damage to the channels. The larger ones that are located in the lower area of the Elqui River have more structural damage, but the smaller channels in the upper zone in smaller channels don't, they have minor damages. Therefore, the operators of the channels themselves are making them operational, they are cleaning them and making repairs to have water, as we are in high season and we need water to maintain the productive systems. We have worked with the Boards of Vigilance to make a survey and diagnosis and see what measures we'll take."
Source: SimFRUIT according to information from Minagri
