{"id":2661,"date":"2013-04-26T15:27:48","date_gmt":"2013-04-26T10:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cawater-info.net\/all_about_water\/en\/?p=2661"},"modified":"2013-04-26T15:29:27","modified_gmt":"2013-04-26T10:29:27","slug":"water-conflicts-come-to-the-andes-as-glaciers-melt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cawater-info.net\/all_about_water\/en\/?p=2661","title":{"rendered":"Water conflicts come to the Andes as glaciers melt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Water-conflicts\"<\/a>The people of the Andes mountains have long benefited from melting glacial ice. But as those ice sheets start to disappear, conflicts over the diminishing resource could intensify.<\/em><\/p>\n

The majestic Illimani mountain just south of La Paz provides a dramatic backdrop to the bustling Bolivian city. But for residents who have long lived in La Paz, the changes on Illimani are striking \u2013 the 6,439-meter high peak is covered with much less snow than just one or two decades earlier.<\/p>\n

And the transformation on neighboring mountain Chacaltaya is even more dramatic. Not long ago, it was home to the highest ski region in the world at 5,300 meters. But skiers no longer head to the slopes of Chacaltaya because the mountain\u2019s glacier literally disappeared in 2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat worries people,\u201d said Karin Kemper, a water resources specialist for the World Bank who focuses on South America. \u201cThey don\u2019t need scientists to tell them that something is wrong here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/a><\/p>\n

Disappearing glaciers<\/strong><\/p>\n

La Pazis not the only city to be affected. Across the Andes, glaciers are melting at an alarming rate: according to estimates, they will all but disappear by 20 to 40 years from now.<\/p>\n

That would mean serious consequences for the residents of the Andes. The impressive ice masses don\u2019t just serve as a spectacular setting, but they also provide the main source of water across South America, from Colombia to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile.<\/p>\n

During summer, the most rain-intensive period in South America, glaciers capture and store showers as snow. When precipitation eases in the winter, the snow melts and feeds fresh water into rivers below.<\/p>\n

But with the melting of glaciers, the cycle is interrupted. The World Bank predicts that climate change will endanger the fresh water supply for 70 percent of Andean people \u2013 about 40 million residents \u2013 by the year 2020.<\/p>\n

Competition for water<\/strong><\/p>\n

As water has become increasingly scarce, the competition for access to the precious liquid has intensified.<\/p>\n

Even before climate change set in, water resources were already running thin \u2013 because the population and the region have both grown and developed rapidly, raising life standards and the demand for water at the same time.<\/p>\n

That has in turn pitted rural communities against urban areas, and industry against private consumer within cities. \u201cThings will become explosive over the coming decades because the glaciers will dry out,\u201d said Pascal Girot, a senior climate change advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean at the humanitarian organization CARE. \u201cThe real problem comes when the glaciers disappear completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the short term, the Andean regions will get a brief reprieve, say experts. \u201cBecause the glacial ice sheets are melting, at first there is more water available than usual,\u201d said Karin Kemper. For cities like La Paz, Quito, Lima or Bogot\u00e1, which are multiplying in size and population, the temporary abundance is a saving grace.<\/p>\n

A growing economy has meant that the amount of water consumed per person has climbed. But, until now, the overflow of water from melting ice caps has been able to meet that demand in some places.<\/p>\n

Yet, infrastructure in most Andean cities has not managed to keep pace, failing to manage the current flow of water on a permanent basis. There\u2019s a lack of dams, large reservoirs, additional distribution networks and even an effective system to treat the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is that the water management infrastructure was conceived and built for a city of a certain size,\u201d said Kemper. \u201cNow the city needs to invest a lot of money to be able to serve more people.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is why, say experts, it is crucial that countries like Bolivia and Peru improve and expand infrastructure now, before the water runs dry. The World Bank is researching the possibility of creating water storage systems deep under the ground.<\/p>\n

There are also more costly proposals to create far-reaching pipelines that would pump water from the Amazon basin or treated sea water to cities.<\/p>\n

\"Water-conflicts3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Political problem-solving needed<\/strong><\/p>\n

But improved infrastructure and technical measures are only part of the answer to shrinking water resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not enough for an outsider to come in and say \u2018hey all you have to do is invest in a million-dollar water treatment plant,\u201d said Girot. \u201cThe solutions have to come from within,\u201d he said, pointing to the need for government-led initiatives and structures.<\/p>\n

Some analysts believe that it will take a national organization with overreaching powers to be able to fairly distribute the scarce resource. In times of drought, the agency would have to override local government policies and restrict water consumption for homes and families, Girot said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Autoridad Nacional del Agua (National Water Authority) is a good example for the Andes region. It\u2019s an organization created by Peru a few years ago,\u201d said Girot. The \u2018Autoridad\u2019 is an independent organization with its own finances and administration and has the highest authority in Peru when it comes to decisions about water supply.<\/p>\n

If the case of drought, the Autoridad decides who has priority access to the available water. The organization\u2019s main responsibility is to guarantee that each individual has access to sufficient water.<\/p>\n

Agencies like the Autoridad can employ various methods of preservation, from limiting the water supply for certain hours every day to giving homes priority over industry or agriculture to levying higher tariffs on large consumers or relocating water-intensive industries.<\/p>\n

Though water is becoming increasingly scarce, Girot remains optimistic. \u201cThe Andes are not nearly as dry or Jordan or the Arabian Peninsula yet. People there manage with very little water,\u201d he said. A few years ago, the governor of La Paz suggested resettling communities if needed. Girot hower believes that is the last resort.<\/p>\n

FROM | www.dw.de
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