The government expects to spend this year 11,057,003,100 pesos on research and scientific development, according to the project of Accountability entered Parliament on Friday for the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).
Those millions of pesos represent a 39.73% less than in 2022, when 18,347,289,483 pesos were allocated to scientific research between central State dependencies, agencies and departments. The expense then represented only 0.63% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In the case of Ministry of Environmentthe section on scientific development presented to Parliament and which will be voted on by both chambers as part of the general Accountability project before next September, the MEF plans to allocate 66,340,704 pesos this year, 9.53% more than in 2022 (60,564,833 pesos).
Of these, 31,508,784 pesos will be for the National Water Directorate (Dinagua)which represents 22.4% more than what was spent during 2022.
The increase in spending occurs in a more than particular context: the drought The historical crisis that plagues the country did nothing more than deteriorate the drinking water reserves. A first crisis in March was overcome in the interior of Uruguay, but since the end of May it worsened in Montevideo and the metropolitan area until reaching the current discouraging panorama where in 7 days there will be no drinkable water.
The government grants the greatest growth in funds for environmental spending and land use planning (21,300,301 pesos, +29.77% in relation to 2022), among which stands out a greater item of funds for the water monitoring and information system: 9,925,337 pesos compared to 5,970,102 pesos last year.
The integrated management of water resources will have the second largest increase in funds: 4,361,722 pesos compared to 3,980,208 in the previous period.
Palliative works for the water crisis, which will be destroyed
The government will allocate around 40 million dollars for the construction of the emergency works announced by President Luis Lacalle Pou to alleviate the water crisis that will later have to be destroyed.
The pipes for the construction of 13.5 kilometers of pipes to carry water to belastiqui and from there supply the plant running waters they cost 20 million dollars; while the work itself has a value of 14,936 dollars, totaling almost 35 million dollars.
If the investment to build the emergency dam in Belastiquí —a total of 1,841,000 dollars—, the amount allocated by the government to temporary infrastructure in relation to the water crisis is almost 37 million dollars.
On this amount, an investment of 12 million dollars per month is estimated, destined to measures for the most vulnerable population, in a context of inaccessibility to safe drinking water.
Source: Ambito
