The National Water Institute (INA) in Argentina is decentralized in five branches throughout the country, where around 300 people work. Its role is key in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and projects related to water.
Among its most outstanding activities are the forecast and alert of floods and droughts, the design of large hydraulic works such as national and international hydroelectric plants, the research of water-related diseases, and the resolution of legal conflicts due to contamination.
However, the INA could be replaced by a private company and its staff reduced to just 50 people, as workers denounce.
Threat of dissolution and staff reduction at the National Water Institute
In a press release, INA employees pointed out that the historic institute “faces an uncertain future following a decision by the Ministry of Deregulation and State Transformation, which threatens to dissolve this organization, with over five decades of experience”.
Despite being explicitly protected by Base Law No. 27,742, which includes it in the list of organizations that cannot be dissolved, workers understand that budget cuts and layoffs could be a way to bypass the impediment and leave the INA without fulfilling the objectives for which it was created.
According to Melina Devercelli, director of the Littoral Regional Center of the INA, the Ministry of Deregulation and State Transformation “requested the dissolution of INA, arguing that its functions could be covered by a private company.
In the face of the exception of closure by the Base Law itself, the elaboration of a self-sustaining business plan for two laboratories at the Ezeiza Hydraulic Hub is being requested, equivalent to privatization, and the closure of Regional Centers.” The scientist also warned that they aim to reduce INA to a minimum of 50 employees.
In the press release, it is highlighted that “the Undersecretary of Water Resources of the Nation, Dr. Andrés Rodríguez, has been asked to start with the downsizing of the institution.” Rodríguez, in turn, is in charge of the presidency of the Institute, as the Government has not appointed anyone to the position, as well as the project manager, these being the two main authorities.
Impact of the cuts on science and technology
The cuts come in a context of advances against Science and Technology organizations, where many of them, such as the Agency that funds the Argentine scientific system, stopped paying for research projects, even when their funds came from loans from multilateral agencies.
Only on January 23, after a five-month delay, notice was given of the approval of funds to pay part of the debt for services that had not been paid since August, even with threats of disconnection and other services that had already been billed.
INA’s infrastructure
The INA, as a science and technology institution, plays a role that goes beyond the capabilities of the private sector. The institution has a unique infrastructure and an interdisciplinary team of experts dedicated to research and finding solutions to water problems.
“We have infrastructure that is unique in Latin America to study these types of problems, to make physical models on a scale, we have specific computing capacity for hydraulic problems: we are well equipped,” stated Mariano Re, head of the Computational Hydraulics program at the Ezeiza Hydraulics Laboratory.
Research and social benefit
In addition to its infrastructure, the INA carries out research that benefits society: it offers highly specialized services and trains human resources in water management. Unlike the private sector, the INA does not pursue profit, ensuring independence of criteria and commitment to the community.
One of the most important characteristics of the INA is its decentralized structure in different geographical areas of the country, where Regional Centers were created: Littoral, in Santa Fe; Andean, in Mendoza; Semi-arid Region, in Córdoba; Groundwater, in San Juan, and the three laboratories on the Ezeiza campus.
Therefore, the institution can address water issues that transcend provincial borders, such as the management of shared hydrographic basins or water resource management. However, the idea of closing the regional centers undermines the independent nature of national issues and a comprehensive view of the water resource.
Consequences of the dissolution of the INA
The dissolution or dismantling of the INA would have serious consequences for society and the economy. The institution plays a fundamental role in the prevention and mitigation of hydrological disasters, such as floods and droughts. Its hydrological alert system, for example, allows predicting the behavior of rivers and warning the population at risk.
In addition, the INA generates key hydrological information for agricultural production, industry, and the energy sector. Its work enables the optimization of hydraulic infrastructure, cost reduction, and prevention of economic losses.
The National Water Institute participated in the design of locks for the Panama Canal, a large-scale project that required highly specialized labor. The impact of the INA also extends to different areas of the country, intervening in economic activities such as mining, agriculture, viticulture, and agri-food.
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