MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine National Fire Management Program gets funding

“The CAF loan works as a swap that allows compensating expenses and investments made by the National Fire Management Service,” Federovisky explained

The government of Argentine Tuesday announced that a US$ 50-million loan with the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) to finance the National Fire Management Program had been approved.

The new tool implemented within the country's Fire Emergency was announced through Decree 763/2022 published Tuesday in the Official Gazette.

It was announced by Sergio Federovisky of the national Ministry of Environment and USD 50 million will arrive.

The disbursement will have a term of 20 years, including a grace period of 72 months, and the interest will be calculated at the variable annual rate resulting from adding the SOFR -the rate established by the US Federal Reserve- whose last value was set at 3.80%, and a margin of 2%, it was explained.

Secretary of Environmental Control and Monitoring Sergio Federovisky pointed out that “the CAF loan works as a swap that allows compensating expenses and investments made by the National Fire Management Service.”

The undertaking “confirms the seriousness with which this government has decided to structure a public policy on fire management,” Federovisky went on.

“This public policy was consolidated after the configuration of a financial system that provides funds to the SNMF, through the collection of an aliquot of 3 per thousand of insurance, which allows the constitution of a robust system of brigadiers and bases throughout the country,” he added.

“Thanks to decisions such as these, the aforementioned service obtains the confidence of organizations such as CAF to finance the consolidation of the purchase of equipment and the allocation of resources, such as, for example, the acquisition of aerial means by the Ministry of the Environment,” the official also pointed out.

The program seeks to support the National Fire Management Plan in order to reduce devastating impacts on ecosystems, water resources, and the quality of life of local populations, as well as to contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

It is structured to strengthen the management of the National Fire Management Service (SNMF) and equipment for direct attack, monitoring for fire mitigation and prevention, as well as the support given to provincial governments for firefighting and ecosystem restoration.

Meanwhile, recent rains have come as a relief to firefighting brigades in the Yungas area in Jujuy. The local fires originated in Colonia Santa Rosa (Salta) on Oct. 10 and affected 1,100 hectares, with a risk of future outbreaks due to the temperatures forecasted for the coming days.

“Yesterday -Monday- there was an average rainfall of 30 mm in the region of the branch, which, although it did not manage to extinguish the fires, improved the working conditions of the brigadiers and allowed to speed up the development of gaps and perimeters to generate barriers to vegetation fires,” Jujuy's Provincial Fire Emergency Committee (COEI) said in a statement.

“Currently there are no risks that threaten that community, due to the fact that a protection breach was made to guarantee both the safety of the population and the productive area,” COEI added as it prepares to take on “an ostensible increase of temperatures that would reach a maximum of 38 degrees this Thursday and the entry of northeast winds, which would generate conditions for the propagation of fires.”

There are 130 firefighters currently active in Jujuy, 62 from the provincial system, 14 from the province of Santiago del Estero, and 54 from the National Fire Management System, in addition to two helicopters and two hydrant airplanes.

Authorities also confirmed that the fire that had started a few days ago in the area of Yala de Monte Carmelo in the department of Tilcara had been extinguished.