W A TER MANAGEMENT INLATIN AMERICA:

REGIONAL OVERVIEW Contents

1. Introduction2. Water resources at global level3. Water resources in Latin America4. Resource management5. Situation at regional and subregional level6. Regional and national challenges7. Conclusions8. References Carlos A. Fernández-Jáuregui

UNESCO -ROSTLAC

Regional Hydrologist, International Hydrological Programme, UNESCO, Casilla 859, 11000 Montevideo, Uruguay.E-mail: uhcfj@unesco.org.uy - http://www.unesco.org.uy/phi

Freshwater, scarce water

Alternative scenariosof world population growth

BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR SOUND WATER RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT

1. The basin as a geographic unit

1.1 The macro basin

1.2 The meso basin

1.3 The micro basin

Main rivers-basins of Latin Americaand the Caribbean

The most important basins by order of magnitude are:

A. South AmericaAmazon basinSurface: 6:916.000 km2

Length of river: 6.280 kmCountries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Surinameand Venezuela

River Plate basinSurface: 3:100.000 km2

Length of river: 4.700 kmCountries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay

Orinoco basinSurface: 1:656.500 km2

Length of river: 2.736 kmCountries: Venezuela and Guyana

San Francisco basinSurface: 551.410 km2

Length of river: 2.897kmCountry: Brazil

Parnaíba basinSurface: 325.000 km2

Length of river: 1.207 kmCountry: Brazil

Magdalena basinSurface: 260.000 km2

Length of river: 1.530 kmCountry: Colombia

Bío-Bío basinSurface: 24.260 km2

Length of river: 380 kmCountry: Chile

B. Central America

Usumacinta river basinLength: 960 kmCountries: Guatemala and Mexico

San Juan river basinCountries: Costa Rica andNicaragua

Tuira river basinCountry: Panama

Lempa river basinCountry: El Salvador

Ullúa river basinCountry: Honduras

C. Mexico

Río Grande del Norte basinSurface: 570.000 km2

Length: 2.880 kmCountries: Mexico and USA

BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR SOUND WATER RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT2. Dublin Principles

2.1 Freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development and the environment.

2.2 Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policy-makers at all levels

2.3 Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water

2.4 Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognized as an economic good

BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR SOUND WATER RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT

3. Multidimensional and multiobjective approach

4. Master plans for river basins

Water resources assessment

In order to carry out any productiveactivity in the region it was consideredessential to make an integratedassessment/quantification of all elements of the water cycle as well as water sector related activities at national, subregional andregional levels.

A. Surface water balancesA methodology was defined by UNESCO for elaboration of water balances at regional level, using the following basicequation:

P + Qsl + Qul - E - ET - Qs0 - Qu0 - ∆S - η = 0where:P = PrecipitationQsl = Input of surface water to the basin or water massQul = Input of ground water to the basin or water massE = EvaporationET = EvapotranspirationQs0 = Output of surface waterQu0 = Output of ground water∆S = Fluctuation of water storage in the basinη = Discrepancy error

The following products were obtained:

- explanatory note by basin and sub-basin

- theme maps on:

- drainage (river basins) + river network

- annual precipitation (mm)

- annual temperatures (oC)

- annual evapotranspiration (mm)

- monthly discharge (m3/s)

- specific discharge (l/s.km2)

- runoff coefficient (%)

B. Hydrogeological mapsA methodology and legend for global use was defined by UNESCO / IAH / IAHS. The following products were obtained:

- explanatory note on hydrogeological basins

- hydrogeological maps that include:

- groundwater and springs- groundwater quality and temperature- surface water and karst hydrography- man-made features and alterations of natural

groundwater regime- horizontal contours and lmits of certain features- geological information- stratigraphic symbols- vertical cross-sections

Hydrogeological Map of South America

Hydrogeological provinces

C. Water resources assessment activitiesUNESCO/WMO defined the manual and UNESCO isimplementing the project. The study at national levelled to a diagnosis and assessment with the followingresults:

- institutional aspects- legal aspects- water availability in quantity and quality- human resources availability by specialty- availability of scientific and technological research

centres- education and training- research and development- equipment and instrumentation- development projects and their status- international cooperation- industrial reconversion- privatisation

Access to drinking water in urban and rural areas of Latin America

CUADRO 1SUPERFICIE DE ZONAS ARIDAS EN LAS ISLAS DEL CARIBE

AREAS HIPERARIDO ARIDO SEMIARIDO SUBHUMEDO ARIDEZ AREA TOTALTOTAL DEL

TERRITORIOkm2 % km2 % km2 % km2 % km2 % km2 %

AntillasHolandesas - - - - 929 93,2 68 6,8 997 100,0 997 100

Islas Caicos yTurks - - - - 12 2,8 418 97,2 430 100,0 430 100

Haití - - - - 3,302 11,9 14,541 52,4 17,843 64,3 27,750 100

RepúblicaDominicana - - - - 8,380 17,3 7,169 14,8 15,549 32,1 48,442 100

Islas Bahamas - - - - 1,705 12,3 1,663 12,0 3,368 24,3 13,864 100

Islas Vírgenes - - - - - 84 17,4 84 17,4 484 100

Puerto Rico - - - - 168 1,9 1,280 14,4 1,448 16,3 8,891 100

Jamaica - - - - 395 3,6 1,263 11,5 1,658 15,1 10,991 100

Trinidad - - - - 153 2,6 564 11,0 697 13,6 5,128 100

Cuba - - - - 1,030 0,9 3,321 2,9 4,351 3,8 13,864 100

TOTAL - - - - 16,054 6,93 30,371 13,11 46,427 20,05 231,501 100

Fuentes:Research Guide to the Arid Lands of the World (Hopkings & Jones,1983).Programa Hidrológico Internacional, UNESCO (1997).

CUADRO 2

SUPERFICIE DE ZONAS ARIDAS EN AMERICA CENTRAL

AREAS HIPERARIDO ARIDO SEMIARIDO SUBHUMEDO ARIDEZ AREATOTALTOTAL DEL

TERRITORIOkm2 % km2 % km2 % km2 % km2 % km2 %

Guatemala - - - - - - 8,820 8,1 8,820 8,1 108,889 100

ElSalvador - - - - - - 1,347 6,3 1,347 6,3 21,393 100

TOTAL - - - - - - 10,167 7,80 10,167 7,80 130,282 100

Fuentes: Research Guide to the Arid Lands of the World (Hopkings & Jones, 1983). Programa Hidrológico Internacional, UNESCO (1997).

CUADRO 3SUPERFICIE DE ZONAS ARIDAS EN AMERICA DEL SUR

AREAS HIPERARIDO ARIDO SEMIARIDO SUBHUMEDO ARIDEZ AREATOTALTOTAL DEL

TERRITORIOkm2 % km2 % km2 % km2 % km2 % km2 %

Argentina - - 675,020 24,3 878.983 31,6 389,060 14,0 1.943,063 69,6 2.777,815 100

Chile 117,398 15,6 158,809 21,2 19.721 2,6 58,609 7,5 352,537 46,9 751,626 100

Paraguay - - - - 52,877 13,0 111,450 27,4 164,327 40,4 406,752 100

Perú 80.968 6,3 48,838 3,8 128,520 10,0 258,328 20,1 516,654 40,2 1.285,215 100

Bolivia - - 80,196 7,3 121,942 11,1 126,335 11,5 328,473 29,9 1.098,581 100

Ecuador - - 15,029 3,4 5,920 1,3 68,316 15,2 89,265 19,9 447,610 100

Venezuela - - 7,296 0,8 25,537 2,8 71,139 7,8 103,972 11,4 912,050 100

Brasil - - - 329,425 4,6 408,195 4,8 807,620 9,4 8.511,965 100

Colombia - - 2,277 0,2 13,666 1,2 84,279 7,4 100,222 8,8 1.138,914 100

TOTAL 198,366 114 987,467 5,69 1.646,591 9,50 1.575,711 9,09 4.406,133 25,4217.330,528 100

Fuentes: Research Guide to the Arid Lands of the World (Hopkings & Jones, 1983). Programa Hidrológico Internacional, UNESCO (1997).

THE CHALLENGES OF THE 21st CENTURY1. Definition of river basins (Divorsium Aquarium)

humid tropics and flatlands

2. Relationship between surface water (hydrologicalbasin) and ground water (hydrogeological basin)

A. No coincidence between hydrological andhydrogeological basins (space)

B. Scale of circulation speed (time)

- surface water ≅ 3-5 days- ground water ≅ 30-50 years- surface/ground water ratio ≅ 1:10.000

3. Use of the river basin as the development unit in place of the present political division of countries

4. Development of the concept of condominium in:- cultural aspects- social aspects- political aspects- legal aspects

5. Development of the concept of sustainability

CONCLUSIONS

1 The water crisis is mainly a crisis of governance

2 Increasing knowledge of freshwater ecosystemsand their relationship to water resources

3 Achieving water-food security

4 Meeting the challenge of urbanisation withplanning and coordination

5 Improving management of floods

6 More attention should be given to dissemination and information on water issues at stakeholder level

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2 Dividing water: Food security, ecosystem health and thenew politics of scarcity. WorldWatch paper 132. Sandra Postel, September 1996

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28 El agua como fuente de conflictos: Repaso de los focosde conflictos en el mundo. Carlos A. Fernández-Jáuregui, 1999. UNESCO-CIDOB Afers Internacionals N° 45-46

29 El agua. Fundación CIDOB N° 62. España, 1998. ISSN 1132-6107

30 World Water Vision project. Messages to initiate consultation for the World Water Vision. First and second draft for internal use only. GWP/SAMTAC working document, other documents from World Water Vision Management Unit

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34 Otras fuentes. Textos y artículos sobre el desarrollo de escenarios y modelaje