Outline of the Project

Title

Costal Water Quality Monitoring Network Project

Country

MEXICO

Date R/D signed

November 17, 2006

Project Site

Mexico City, Tamauripas State

Term of Cooperation

From January 15, 2007 To January 14, 2010

Implementing Organization

(English) National Water Commision

(Spanish) Comisión Nacional Del Agua(CONAGUA)

Background

As the need to reduce water contamination in Mexico is stated also in the "National Water Plan (2001-2006)," the importance of the water contamination issue is given emphasis along with the issue of water resource security. According to the 2002 UNEP Water Quality Index, Mexico ranked low at the 106th of 122 countries. Also, it was reported that an extremely large number of hydrobiological organisms died in July 2006 in Veracruz State.

The growing water contamination has been a large concern and countermeasures must be taken urgently. Considering such circumstances, CONAGUA established the "National Water Quality Monitoring Program" in 1974 in order to monitor the status of domestic water contamination and, since then, water quality monitoring has been conducted nationwide. The National Water Quality Monitoring Program covers both fresh water and salt water but, currently, because the laboratory techniques that are used at the present moment do not produce representative results, due to the salt interferences, monitoring of coastal water does not reach qualitatively nor quantitatively the required level.

For the monitoring of coastal water quality in Mexico, JICA conducted a development study, "Study on Development of the National Water Quality Monitoring Program in Coastal Areas" from 1999 to 2000 and developed (1) the coastal water quality monitoring program for areas along the Gulf of Mexico and (2) the nationwide coastal water quality monitoring program guidelines, where all the efforts were done to start the program throughout the country. Later on, under their own expense, implemented a training center in the Northern Gulf Basin Organism Laboratory, where coastal water analysis started in 9 monitoring stations. Still, Mexico has a number of remaining issues to be worked on, including the insufficient number of both analysis parameters for testing and monitoring sites, and lack of data reliability. Recently, Japan as a nation having an extensive knowledge in monitoring water quality was requested to support a technical cooperation project intended to strengthen the reference function related to coastal water quality monitoring in Mexico.

In August 2006, JICA implemented a preliminary study and reached an agreement with the Mexican authorities concerning the project's master plan. And based on the preparatory study results, JICA developed Minutes of Meeting (M/M) on the master plan, the implementation system and how responsibilities should be shared between the two sides.

This project, in which the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) acts as C/P, aims at developing and maintaining a nationwide coastal water quality monitoring system through the strengthening of the reference function (the construction of a standard analytical method, accuracy control system and training function) concerning the coastal water quality monitoring in Mexico.

Purpose

Overall Goal :Strengthening of CONAGUA's capability in monitoring and water quality control in coastal areas (monitoring and management capabilities)

Project Purpose :Strengthening of CONAGUA's reference function related to coastal water quality monitoring

Outputs

1. Strengthening of the coastal water quality monitoring capability of the Northern Gulf Basin Organism.
2. Strengthening of the coastal water quality monitoring capability of the Water Quality Management.
3. Improvement of the quality assurance and quality control (Q/A Q/C) system related to coastal water quality monitoring.
4. Strengthening of the training capability related to coastal water quality monitoring of the National Reference Laboratory and the Northern Gulf Basin Organism Laboratory.

Project Activities

Input

Input Summary by Japanese side :

Expert dispatch : Areas needing short-term expert dispatch: 9 areas

• Chief adviser
• Monitoring plan
• Interpretation of monitoring data
• Sampling of coastal water
• Analysis of basic parameters
• Analysis of inorganic compounds
• Analysis of organic compounds
• Analysis of sediment
• Accuracy control, etc.

Input Summary by the Recipient Country :

• Counterpart's personnel cost
• Arrangement for building, facilities and land
• Operating cost related to coastal water quality monitoring
• Actual cost necessary for project implementation including training cost, etc.