Source: www.waterworld.com
The development of water and sanitation infrastructure has failed to keep up with the millions of Latin Americans migrating to urban areas over the years. Nuno Oscar Branco looks at some of the projects taking place to bring the region up to speed and meet Millenium Development Goals, including desalination development across Peru and Chile.
Latin America is water rich. With 500 million inhabitants or 8% of the world population distributed in 20 countries, the region possesses 31% of the freshwater resource in the world. In comparison, Asia, where 60% of the world population lives, only 28% of the freshwater resource is available.
However, this water is not equally distributed. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) - the Gulf of Mexico Basin, the South Atlantic Basin and the La Plata basin covering 25% of the region's territory are home to "40% of the population containing only 10% of the region's water resources". These are also key industrial regions with some of the most water intensive sectors.