On June 15, United States Ambassador to Peru Krishna Urs and the Canadian Ambassador to Peru Gwyneth Kutz launched the Natural Infrastructure for Water Security (NIWS) project at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence in Lima, Peru.  NIWS is a five-year, $27.5 million project to enhance the Government of Peru’s (GOP) institutional capacity to regulate water supply and reduce the risks of floods, droughts, and water contamination by scaling up investment in natural infrastructure (NI).  This is the first direct donor-to-donor collaboration between the U.S. and Canada in Peru, with the U.S. contributing $15 million and Canada $12.5 million.  The project was developed, and will be managed, by USAID.

During the launch event, Ambassador Urs emphasized, “If we do not take care of natural infrastructure, we will not be able to assure the water supply for (Peruvian) communities. The basis of future economic growth and social stability depends on the provision of water.”  NI is a cost-effective strategy to mitigate water scarcity and climate risk through ecosystem conservation and management practices such as reforestation, wetlands management.  Robust study and practice have proven NI as an indispensable complement to traditional “gray infrastructure” (e.g. large-scale aqueducts and wastewater systems) in addressing the challenges of water security and climate events.  In the case NIWS, the project will include the restoration of ancestral aqueducts that date back to the Pre-Incan time period in the 15th century. 

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