Peruvian President Alan García has passed a bill to create the environment ministry, the government reported on the presidential website.

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"This is making history for Peru," said García when announcing the creation of the ministry.

The new entity will be an evaluator and comptroller to guarantee environmental standards and to preserve the country's natural resources, he said.

THE MINISTRY

The entity will be headed by two deputy ministers. One will be in charge of the strategic development of natural resources and the other will oversee environmental management.

The decree includes the creation of two new organizations: the national service of protected natural areas and an entity to evaluate and control environmental impact.

The new ministry will be responsible for designing, approving, carrying out and supervising the national environmental agenda and action plan, and will coordinate policies with other sectors as well as with regional and local governments, to which it will also provide technical assistance.

The ministry will provide solutions for environmental conflicts, promoting out-of-court negotiations.

It will also be responsible for establishing the criteria for the design and execution of decontamination and environmental recovery plans, among others.

IMPACT

The creation of an environment ministry is to preserve the country's resources and assure their quality and sustainability.

This will make environmental issues more important when designing and carrying out projects.

The new entity is expected to have an impact on a number of production activities in the country, as it will increase controls over operations that might affect the environment, such as the dumping of poorly treated or untreated industrial wastewater.

Among the industries expected to be most affected by the ministry are the mining, textile production, agriculture and food industries.

Control of the water resources used by these industries will increase and environmental standards will be implemented through wastewater treatment, according to government officials.

At the same time, private production firms are expected to optimize the use of hydrological resources, as the new entity will take action against water loss.