The governor of Atlántico, Elsa Noguera, spoke with Ernesto Cortes, editor-in-chief of EL TIEMPO, about the main achievements of her administration.
1. How is the splicing going?
It goes very well. If something has characterized us in the Atlantic, it is that we like to build on what has been built, in such a way that better results are achieved. 4 years ago, coincidentally, it was my turn to receive Governor Eduardo Verano and on this occasion he returns to the department again. It has been a very cordial and calm connection, complying with all the requirements of the law. Continuity is very good because the city wins, the departments win, but above all the people win.
2. Around this time, why do we have to go on vacation to the Atlantic?
Barranquilla, and the entire department of Atlántico, has established itself as the must-see destination that makes up the Caribbean region. People who visit Cartagena and Santa Marta necessarily have to go to the Atlantic because we have spectacular sun and beach tourism on the newly organized beaches of Sabanilla; They are environmentally friendly beaches, inclusive for people with disabilities, and offer recreational sports and exquisite cuisine.
Today they are orderly beaches where the circulation of vehicles is not allowed, the parking lot is in the back, they are connected to all public services and the rules of the game are clear: there is a digital menu with a QR code so that we do not They charge a million pesos for the fish.
What we want is for them to no longer continue offering the same fried mojarra with patacones. The menu has completely changed, it is more exquisite. A sea food offer with freshly caught fish on the tray. It is an incredible experience and the big bet is that the Atlantic beaches become the perfect beaches for entertainment.
3. Why did you decide to turn Usiacuri into a tourist power in the department?
Usiacuri is a magical town that had a true social transformation through color. Beginning our government, we arrived at the municipality, we sat down with the community and they stated that they wanted to receive many more tourists. We decided to add color to it to make it more attractive. Together with the people we painted the largest macromural on ceilings in Latin America and made interventions in public spaces such as Mirador Park, Julio Flórez Plaza, a permanent craft exhibition center and we recovered the mineral water wells.
Elsa Noguera, governor of the Atlantic.
4. In four days can you see all the tourist attractions in the department?
Completely. The Atlantic has the advantage of having excellent roads that allow you to travel from one end to the other in just two hours. In the offer we are giving there are experiences for all tastes. You can do the color route in Usiacurí and fall in love with its crafts, but we also have sun and beach tourism, not only in Puerto Colombia, but also in the municipality of Juan de Acosta, for example, where you find the perfect beaches of Santa Verónica for kitesurfing and for lovers of water sports. And for lovers of adventure and landscaping there is the Luruaco lagoon or the Luriza Natural Reserve.
5. At the beginning of your management you mentioned that one of your main bets was to reactivate the field, how did it go?
We are totally satisfied to see how the farmers begin to harvest their crops. They already say that they stopped being ordinary peasants to become rural entrepreneurs, thanks to three actions that are part of our strategy to put the countryside in full swing. First, guarantee water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by rehabilitating the irrigation district; second, facilitating financing with a rural capitalization incentive, thus we eliminate the risk for the banks and they are lending to our farmers. And, third, guaranteeing the purchase because it is of no use if they have a very productive harvest and then have no one to sell it to.
After the third year, productivity will be so high that they will stop earning one million pesos, which is what they are earning today, to earn five million pesos. We chose five products that can grow without affecting the market price and with an export vocation: Tahiti lemon, oil palm, banana, cocoa and mango.
6. Is the Soledad Hospital already operating, which will benefit nearly a million people?
Yes, two months in operation and people are completely happy with the new Juan Domínguez Romero Hospital because it was a departmental hospital that operated under very precarious conditions. The people in Soledad dreamed of a hospital of medium and high complexity and that would have the conditions that this one has. It is the most modern and best equipped hospital in the entire Caribbean region. It is incredible that in Soledad we did not have a hospital capable of caring for this population, there are 800,000 people who live in Soledad, plus all the people who live on the Magdalena River, those who did not have a hospital nearby and always had to go to Barranquilla . Now they have a new infrastructure and warmth in providing 24/7 emergency service, hospitalization, surgery, intermediate and intensive care units, and outpatient consultation in the same place.
7. After the pandemic crisis, how did you manage to recover from the lack of employment?
When the pandemic began, the priority was saving lives and addressing the emergency. But when the unemployment figures began to come out, people were no longer worried about contagion, but rather that they had lost their employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. For this reason, we decided to divide the team so that one part would attend to the pandemic, which was the priority, and another part would be in charge of thinking about the days after the pandemic, how to comply with the development plan and design an economic reactivation strategy that allowed us to recover those jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities that were being lost. This is how we designed the ‘Atlantic at full speed’ strategy that aimed to boost the countryside in the south of the Atlantic and tourism in the coastal area, as well as entrepreneurship and renewable energies. We wanted to consolidate the Atlantic as an epicenter to receive investments in solar and wind projects and be the capital of clean energy.
8. It is no secret that many areas of the Caribbean suffer from a sewage problem. What does this leave the municipalities with on this issue?
The sewer is a great bet because it serves two purposes. On the one hand, it improves the quality of life conditions of our people, but, at the same time, it prevents all that wastewater from continuing to reach the bodies of water in the Atlantic. Thanks to the investment we made in 17 municipalities, today we are going to have the sewage problem solved in one hundred percent of the capitals and seven more townships also with the sewage service. The most beautiful thing about the project and what makes us most excited is that both the Magdalena River, the Caribbean Sea, the Guájaro reservoir and the Luruaco lagoon are going to stop receiving this wastewater and we are going to have a true environmental recovery of our bodies of water.
9. What will you miss most about your administration?
That permanent contact with the people in the municipalities and that relationships remain for life. We have to try not to get attached to positions because they come and go, but we always remain very attached to people and relationships with people. With them we have built all these advances, it has been a government that talks with the people, that co-creates, that we design solutions hand in hand with them and, for that reason, when we deliver the works, people are happy because they feel that they were there from the first day.
MORE CONTENT*. A Special Editorial Content project from EL TIEMPO with the sponsorship of ProBarranquilla.
2023-12-13 08:00:59
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