| Argentina: Water Resources Management | |
|---|---|
| |
| Withdrawals by sector 2000 | Domestic 16% Agriculture 74% Industry 10% |
| Total renewable water resources (2008) | 814 billion cubic meters (BCM) |
| Surface water produced internally[1] | 276 BCM |
| Groundwater recharge[2] | 128 BCM |
| Overlap between surface and groundwater[3] | 128 BCM |
| Available per capita renewable water resources (2008) [4] | 20,410 cubic meters per year |
| Total water withdrawal per capita | 774.8 m3 per year |
| Total used as % of availability | approx. 4% |
| Land Area | 2,780,400 Km2 |
| Agricultural land (% of land area) | 12% |
| Equipped irrigated area (% of cultivated area) | 5.43% |
| Equipped irrigated area | 1.7 million ha |
| Irrigation systems | |
| Surface irrigation | 1.4 million ha |
| Sprinkler irrigation | 650,000 ha |
| Localized irrigation | - million ha |
| Wetland designated as Ramsar sites (2010) | 19 sites; 5,318,376 ha |
| Dam Capacity | 186 BCM |
| Hydroelectric generation (% of total electricity generation) | 41% |
| (Source: FAO Aquastat 1988-2008) | |
Water resources management (WRM) functions in Argentina are handled by multiple institutions operating at the national, provincial, and river basin level, with a variety of functions and jurisdictions. On the national level, the National Institute for Water and the Environment (INA) and the National Water and Sanitation Utility (AySA) are charged with the duties of researching, water resources preservation, developing services, and implementing water projects.
Connectivity to water in urban settings is quite good in Argentina, but rural communities lag far behind that of less developed nations. This problem is made worse by one of the highest levels of per capita usage in the world at around 500 L/day.[5] Large rivers and aquifers represent the main source of drinking water supplies and they are facing serious water pollution problems from industrial effluents, urbanization, and harmful agriculture practices.
Many other challenges persist throughout the country and most are regionally focused with varying degrees because Argentina is divided into many different climatic regions. Some of the critical issues are identified as an inadequate regulatory and institutional framework, inter-sectoral conflict, limited capacity in water management at the central and provincial levels, and high risk for flooding in urban and rural areas.
- ^ Surface water produced internally includes the average annual flow of rivers generated from endogenous precipitation and base flow generated by aquifers. Surface water resources are usually computed by measuring or assessing total river flow occurring in a country on a yearly basis.
- ^ Groundwater recharge is the total volume of water entering aquifers within a country's borders from endogenous precipitation and surface water flow. Groundwater resources are estimated by measuring rainfall in arid areas where rainfall is assumed to infiltrate into aquifers.
- ^ Overlap is the volume of water resources common to both surface and groundwater. It is subtracted when calculating IRWR to avoid double counting. Two types of exchanges create overlap: contribution of aquifers to surface flow, and recharge of aquifers by surface run-off. In arid and semi-arid countries, surface water flows recharge groundwater by infiltrating through the soil during floods.
- ^ Per capita renewable water resources are calculated by using natural renewable water resources data from 2007 and national population data from 2002. Actual Renewable Water Resources is the sum of internal renewable water resources and natural flow originating outside of the country. Natural Renewable Water Resources are computed by adding together internal renewable water resources and natural flows.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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