Americas ok.indd - World Water Council

74th World Water Forumareas in Mexico, floods and volcanic eruptions in CentralAmerica, and floods and associated land-slides in severalmetropolitan and peri-urban areas throughout theAmericas. Cyclonic activity is a pervading threat alongmost of the Atlantic coast, particularly hazardous for thoselow-lying island states of the Caribbean. Natural disastersassociated with climatic variability have increased infrequency and intensity. The region experienced an averageof 8.3 disasters per year between 1900 and 1989 whichrose to 40.7 per year between 1990 and 1998, a figuresurpassed only by Asia. Substantial human and economiclosses are attributable to these events. These have similarlysubstantially increased over the last decade. In Colombia,4 million people were affected by natural disastersbetween 1993-2000 at an annual cost of US$ 453million. Climate change has the potential to significantlyaccentuate these impacts and alter existing patterns ofnatural resources and land use. Some potential impactsinclude reductions in rainfall; salt-water intrusions thatmay exacerbate inundation of river deltas, such as thoseof the Magdalena, Amazon, Orinoco and Paraná; sea levelincreases threatening coastal areas; glacier melting andshrinkage; and increased magnitude and frequency ofnatural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and droughts.Water Withdrawals. Given the region’s hugeresources, only a small proportion (average 3.2%) oftotal renewable water resources is withdrawn to meetthe demands of the population and economic activities.This compares to the global average of 8.7%. With fewexceptions, irrigated agriculture is the primary consumeraccounting for about 60% of all withdrawals. Levels ofirrigation water use show homogeneity across SouthAmerica and the Greater Antilles, varying between9,000 m 3 /ha/year and 12,000 m 3 /ha/year. Given thesocioeconomic characteristics and long history ofinvestments in water resources development, figures forMexico are slightly higher, averaging 13,500 m 3 /ha/year.These figures are even higher in Central America, due tothe development of important, permanent economic crops(banana, sugar cane, etc.) and the high levels of cultivationin temporary, intensive crops such as rice. Industrial wateraccounts for approximately 25% of withdrawals acrossthe Americas but is especially important in Canada, where69% of water is withdrawn for industrial use, far in excessof those for agriculture (12%). Similar situations areobserved in the United States, where industrial water useaccounts for 46% of withdrawals compared to 41% foragriculture; Trinidad and Tobago, where 6% of withdrawalsare for agricultural use compared to 27% for industrialuse; and in Belize, where 89% of water is withdrawn forindustrial use. Domestic water use accounts for 15% oftotal water withdrawals across the region.Water Supply and Sanitation. Considerable advanceshave been made in the region to provide these servicesfor all its inhabitants. Compared to global figures, levelsof water supply and sanitation coverage within theAmerica’s are generally higher. Access to adequate watersupply is all but universal in North America, while accessacross Latin America and the Caribbean is typically above90% for urban populations and estimated at around70% for rural populations. Although more variable,access to sanitation among urban populations in LatinAmerica is relatively high: from 52% to 99%. However,rural sanitation remains a challenge –coverage in Bolivia,Brazil, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Peruand Venezuela remains less than 50%. Several servicemodels (public, private and combinations thereof) are inuse throughout the region with varying levels of success.For example, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, cooperatives are theonly water suppliers for the city’s one million people,and no municipal utility, public or private, has ever beenestablished. In Cordoba, Argentina, private providersaccount for approximately 10 to 15% of water services,covering about 38,200 households. On the other hand,Uruguay became the first country in Latin America toenshrine the right to drinking water and sewage servicesin its Constitution and a referendum allows privateprovision of water and sanitation services. The greatestpersisting challenge is effective wastewater treatment.In most countries, only a marginal percentage (less than10%) of the wastewater is treated, resulting in continuedenvironmental degradation and health impacts indownstream populations. The environmental, social andeconomic costs of this degradation are only beginning toemerge. In Peru, the economic impacts associated withenvironmental degradation accounts for approximately4% of the country’s GDP. This cost is associatedwith various factors, including waterborne diseases(1.06%), over fishing (0.36%), soil degradation (0.35%)—particularly soil salinization and erosion, deforestation