Carolina Leitao, mayor of Peñarolén and president of the Chilean Association of Municipalities (ACHM), expressed that “we would like to call on all neighbors about the proper use of these networks, because ultimately, it is a benefit for the whole community.” And not only the residents of Penalolen, but of the entire metropolitan area and the country”.
Faced with the challenge of experiencing better weather with the highest probability of rain in the metropolitan area, Aguas Andinas decided to inform about the cleaning and maintenance of sewer networks, in addition to raising awareness among citizens about the importance of care. Anticipated campaign. of this essential infrastructure for the functioning of the city.
Carolina Leitao, mayor of Peñarolén and president of the Chilean Association of Municipalities (ACHM), expressed that “we would like to call on all neighbors about the proper use of these networks, because ultimately, it is a benefit for the whole community.” And not just the residents of Penalolen, but the entire metropolitan area and the country.”
“Good use of sewage is relevant every day and certainly during rainy events. Many times we see neighbors lift the lids of sewage systems at these events and this is a tremendous problem, because the water instead of flowing down the streets will flow inside homes. And there, we want to ask the community for help with social control: If we see a neighbor who doesn’t know, let’s tell them what’s happening. For us with Aguas Andinas Working together is the key”, he said.
With regard to the proper use of the sewerage system, Aguas Andinas together with the community authority called on the community to avoid throwing objects that could clog the network and alter its normal functioning.
For his part, Aguas Andinas’ director of customers, Eugenio Rodríguez, explained that “every year, we do a thorough cleaning and maintenance of the sewerage in the city, which gets stronger before the rainy days. We manage our 11,000 km network removes approximately 3,000 tonnes of irregularly inserted blunt elements during its annual inspection of over 1,200 km of network, a figure that is rising year on year. In the first four months of 2023 alone, we are already Have extracted 400 tonnes per month.
“The sewage system is not a garbage dump, it is a necessary sanitary and environmental infrastructure for the city. It is important that we all take care of it, because it allows us to remove wastewater from all residents of the metropolitan area and Our bio takes it to factories where it is purified and returned to the environment. The Aguas Andinas sewerage network is very extensive and underground, so citizens forget that it exists and is of tremendous importance. For this reason, We want to emphasize that its proper functioning depends on everyone,” stressed Rodríguez.
Just to give you an idea, he explained, cooking oil is one of the most damaging ingredients to sewage networks, as it can freeze and clog pipes. Similarly, in view of the possible rain, there was a call to avoid lifting the sewerage cover, as large amounts of water could enter and cause flooding.
Cutting edge technology
Similarly, Aguas Andinas highlighted the state-of-the-art and unique technology in Latin America that it uses to perform sewer cleaning and maintenance tasks. Among them, rotary-rod equipment for unlogging without the use of water, acoustic systems for blockage detection and television systems, as well as trucks that have pumps and high-pressure equipment. All this allows for more efficient management and increases the scope of work.
In the specific case of the commune of Peñalone, within the framework of the winter planning carried out throughout the metropolitan area, the focus is on eight points agreed in advance with the municipal emergency team:
- Average Grecia/Las Perdices
- quintali/the fan
- Quebrada San Pedro/Av. Greece
- pequenes/the partridge
- Icalma Lagoon
- Lago Gris/Lago Roselot
- AV. Las Torres/Calle 1
- Av. Del Valle/Two Orient
It should be noted that the sewerage network is designed and dimensioned to receive sewage only, and not waste from the city or rainwater, which must go through the streets to enter specially constructed drains for this purpose , a network not managed by Aguas Andinas. For this reason, good use of infrastructure is relevant and even more so on rainy days.
