Mapocho Urbano Limpio

the caps lock key on this keyboard isn´t currently working... awesome. i had to copy and paste the title of this blog, so just keep that in mind as you read and i don´t capitalize anything. :)

today as d. and i were driving in providencia, near estacion baquedano, we saw a sign for the project Mapocho Urbano Limpio. d explained some of the components to me, and i did a little research online, and it sounds pretty exciting. basically, anyone who´s walked across the bridge to get to bellavista has smelled that oh-so-wonderful odor that is the rio mapocho. it is, in a word, disgusting. but luckily, there are finally plans to clean it up! that´s what this new project (which is slated to begin soon and be finished by the end of 2009) is all about - cleaning up and giving new life to the river - and by extension, the city. as it is now, the river is extremely contaminated and has an adverse effect on the health of the citizens here. but se supone that this project will help diminish the risk of contracting diseases such as hepatitis currently present in the river´s water.

i´m very excited about the implications for improved public health that this project will provide, but i´m also excited about what this may do for the economy of santiago. i know it´s only one project, but it could prove to be a huge step... in addition to cleaning up the river, there is talk of making it a source of nautical recreation. imagine, the mapocho - navigable. i think there has also been mention of constructing more cafes, restaurants, who knows what, al lado del rio. basically, think of chile´s version of venice ;) maybe not quite so cool, but who knows. the project has an estimated cost of 57 mil millones de pesos and will provide jobs to approximately 2,000 people. overall, i think it sounds very promising... a clean river, hopefully a boost for the economy.. viva mapocho!