Latin America; in English (pdf) - Transboundary Freshwater Dispute ...

Fishing boats and merchants, Amazon. Photo credit: Iva nafzinger.
reach its potential, and the people do not live
free of constant worry regarding their water,
thereby decreasing their human security. This
has a large effect on causing disputes among
stakeholders and increases the vulnerability of
each basin.
Spring water still flows from ancient Inca water systems, Peru.
Photo credit: Keith M. Davis.
3.2.1.3 Groundwater Use
Groundwater has been used in South America
dating back to centuries before Columbus set
foot in the Americas (Rebouças 1999). However,
the amounts that were drawn from aquifers have
significantly changed over the past 500 years
and the ever-increasing amounts of extractions
are beginning to adversely affect the underground
resources. Contamination becomes easier,
because there is not as much water to dilute the
pollutants and saltwater intrusion occurs as
pumping of freshwater out of aquifers causes
saltwater to invade groundwater areas. As
mentioned above, South America has grown
more dependent on groundwater over the past
20 years due to the increasing costs of storage
and treatment of surface waters. Groundwater
acts as an almost-free storage facility, and, if not
being polluted, a clean source of freshwater. On
a continent where water resources are not equally
distributed, aquifers have become a more secure
source of water.
The principal problem stems from the lack
of data and science around groundwater use to
know how human use is affecting the aquifers
(Rebouças 1999). We do know that we are
polluting many of our aquifers through inadequate
waste disposal of heavy metals, chemicals, and
hazardous waste (UNEP 2000).
52 — Hydropolitical Vulnerability and Resilience along International Waters: Latin America and the Caribbean