A. M. The Finance Committee of the Legislative Assembly approved an amendment to the 2025 General Budget Law to guarantee financing for the Comprehensive Water Security Program, focused on the restoration and conservation of the Lempa River, one of the country’s main water sources. The initiative reflects a firm financial commitment to protecting the ecosystem services that this tributary provides to millions of salvadorans.
The approved amount is US$24 million, resources that will be allocated specifically to implement actions to ensure the conservation of the ecosystem services supported by the Lempa River. This public investment is considered strategic, as the tributary not only supplies water for human consumption, but also for agriculture, industry, hydroelectric power production, and climate risk mitigation.
According to Julio Alemán Chávez, from the Strategic Debt Management Department of the Ministry of Finance, the financing comes from the resources generated by liability management operations during 2024, which enables the Government to comply with the commitments established in the program for 2025. This allocation responds to an approach of responsible public investment oriented towards environmental sustainability.
The measure is part of the Conservation Funding Agreement (CFA), ratified by the Legislative Assembly on december 11, 2024, which contemplates a total financing of US$350 million to be executed over 20 years. This agreement consolidates a long-term fiscal policy to support water security in the country.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Ministry of Finance’s annual payments to the conservation program will average US$17.5 million between 2026 and 2044. However, an exceptional allocation of US$24 million was established for 2025, to be distributed in two equal disbursements of US$12 million in april and october.
This legislative action is evidence of the priority that the State is giving to environmental investment from a fiscal perspective, by incorporating sustained financing mechanisms and strategic budget planning to address ecological challenges and guarantee the long-term availability of water resources.
