How to improve the availability and equity in water access?
| Areas | : | Natural resources, extractive industries and social conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher/s in charge | : | Gerardo Damonte |
| Execution time | : | March 2018 |
Presentation
The project involves comparative research in four countries (Peru, Colombia, Argentina and Chile) following territorial, socio-technical and participatory approaches to comprehensively analyze the problems of water availability and equity present in Andean territories with extractive industries presence. The methodology was mixed and with a transversal participatory component. The research team carried out literature and databases analysis, primary data gathering, and ethnographic methods. Also, the team used different methods to articulate the different scales of territorial government: (global, national, and local).
As part of the results, it was found that the production and reproduction of water scarcity are closely related to mining expansion. The study argues that mining developments have triggered urbanization processes, increasing distrust of the quality of water sources and generating institutional disputes over water management. In this context, state policies on water governance have hindered the formation of collaborative forms of territorial planning that could address water scarcity. Therefore, one recommendation is the creation of collaborative planning platforms would allow a consensus on solutions to the scarcity problem and guarantee more equitable access to water resources.
