The Matanza-Riachuelo River Basin Observatory Project
In Argentina this summer, the Matanza-Riachuelo River Basin Observatory Project is monitoring and evaluating the developmental impact of the clean-up effort in an extraordinarily polluted basin of Rio de la Plata, thanks to the research efforts of 10 students participating in The International Field Program (IFP) of The New School’s Graduate Program in International Affairs. The project was initiated by the New School in 2010 and is taking place over five years.
The International Field Program at the New School sews connections between classroom learning and international fieldwork experience. More than 100 students studying international development complete internships with government or non-government organizations in countries around the world each summer.
This year, the team at Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos (AySA) is working on a two-fold project: 1) evaluating the Side-Elevated Pool Aeration (SEPA) water filtration systems; 2) evaluating a community development project completed by AySA in 2008.
The project is critical to residents of Matanza-Riachuelo and to New School students’ practical understanding of how cooperative development occurs. It is funded by the Argentine government and dependent upon cooperation between the World Bank and local, national and International levels of government, the private sector, and several NGOs in the River Basin.
