en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Private Investment Promotion Agency (ProInversión) has announced the start of construction on the Casa Blanca reservoir, a project under the Works for Taxes (Obras por Impuestos, OxI) mechanism requiring an investment of over S/151 million. This initiative will strengthen water security in the region, ensure agricultural water supply, and create development opportunities for thousands of families.
Named the "Project to Improve Water Resource Availability for the Yura River Basin Irrigation System," this reservoir is the first infrastructure of its kind implemented by the Regional Government of Arequipa through the Works for Taxes mechanism. Funding is provided by Yura, Gloria, Interbank, and La Tinka, with technical management by URBI Proyectos, a company under the Intercorp group.
In its first phase, the project directly benefits 648 farming families in the Yura Valley and 53 production families in Cuarta Pampa, Vítor District. Over the next decade, its impact will reach more than 33,000 residents and strengthen the productive activities of approximately 2,500 farmers, helping to increase household income and boost the regional economy.
The new infrastructure can store up to 7 million cubic meters of water, ensuring supply during the dry season. Irrigation coverage in Quiscos, Uyupampa, and Yura Viejo will increase from the current 7% to 15% to at least 70%, and in Yuramayo to 90%. More than 410 hectares of land will be modernized through water-saving irrigation systems such as drip and sprinkler irrigation, promoting the cultivation of higher-value and export-potential crops like grapes, pomegranates, dragon fruit, cactus fruit, and passion fruit.
Water regulation will also gradually integrate new agricultural areas currently underutilized due to water scarcity, strengthening food security, reducing drought-related losses, and promoting sustainable agricultural development. The dam stands 84 meters high (equivalent to a 24-story building), is 135 meters long, and covers a reservoir area of 33 hectares. Construction will take 36 months, creating direct employment opportunities and providing prospects for local suppliers and labor.
