The Minister of Housing and Urbanism, Iván Poduje, questioned the installation of radars as a response to flash floods and emphasized the need to invest in infrastructure to prevent the effects of natural disasters, during his participation in the Icare series "Meet Your Minister."
His statements come amid the debate over the incorporation of new weather radars to strengthen the monitoring of extreme phenomena, following the recent flash flood that affected the commune of Las Condes, in the Metropolitan Region.
During the conversation, the Secretary of State criticized that these devices are presented as a solution to flash floods and argued that the priority should be the construction of works that allow water to be contained and channeled.
"There's a lot of talk about installing some radars; that's the thing that seems to me, how to put it, ridiculous. Now the solution to flash floods is some radars, that's the quick fix," he said.
Along those lines, Poduje defended the implementation of mitigation infrastructure and highlighted projects carried out in the north of the country. "The solution to flash floods is the settling ponds and drainage channels that they have built in Tocopilla, in Antofagasta," he noted.
The minister acknowledged that this type of intervention requires a significant investment, which is why he raised the need to convince the Ministry of Finance about l…
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The Minister of Housing and Urbanism, Iván Poduje, questioned the installation of radars as a response to mudslides and emphasized the need to invest in infrastructure to prevent the effects of natural disasters, during his participation in the Icare series "Meet Your Minister." His statements come amid the debate over the incorporation of new weather radars to strengthen the monitoring of extreme phenomena, following the recent mudslide that affected the commune of Las Condes, in the Metropolitan Region. During the conversation, the Secretary of State criticized the fact that these devices are presented as a solution to mudslides and argued that the priority should be the construction of works that allow water to be contained and channeled. "There is a lot of talk about installing radars; that's the thing that seems to me, how to put it, ridiculous. Now the solution to mudslides is radars, that's the quick fix," he said. Along those lines, Poduje defended the implementation of mitigation infrastructure and highlighted experiences developed in the north of the country. "The solution to mudslides is the settling ponds and drainage channels that they have built in Tocopilla, in Antofagasta," he noted. The minister acknowledged that this type of intervention requires significant investment, so he raised the need to convince the Ministry of Finance about the importance of allocating resources to preventive works. He also addressed the administrative difficulties faced by projects aimed at reducing natural hazards. Among them, he mentioned delays in the preparation of flood and landslide risk studies, as well as delays in the execution of hydraulic infrastructure. Regarding reconstruction, he announced that the Executive Branch intends to present a bill during 2027 to create a specialized division within the Ministry of Housing, with tools aimed at accelerating the execution of works and reducing the administrative procedures that currently delay the State's response to emergencies. Housing solutions: government projects delivering 60,000 homes during 2026 In another matter, the head of the Minvu addressed the government's commitment to reach 400,000 housing solutions during the current administration, of which 100,000 will correspond to land intended to facilitate access to housing. Poduje detailed that there are currently 118,000 homes under construction and that the ministry projects delivering around 60,000 units during this year. However, he warned that meeting the target faces significant difficulties, mainly related to permits, coordination between public agencies, and the authorizations needed to execute projects. "The main threat we face is bureaucracy, not money," he stated, mentioning problems associated with sanitary feasibility, electrical connections, and approvals from public agencies. Finally, the minister announced that the government is working on a new housing subsidy for homes of up to 4,000 UF, aimed at expanding the possibilities of access to homeownership for middle-class families, along with promoting financing mechanisms that allow reducing the down payment required to obtain mortgage loans.