The Five types of Water / Poverty in the Andes

Location, Magnitude, Causes.

The Andean region is a very diverse landscape. There are regions on which lack of water is a key characteristic such as in the western side of Peru and North Chile (Atacama Desert), on which there is virtually no rain. However, people who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods is located near main rivers from which some irrigation schemes are in place. How water is managed inside these is another issue. Absolute water scarcity is not the cause of poverty rather the way in which the one available is distributed and managed. Migrating population near those green oasis becomes marginalized since their access is restricted or limited to the existing conditions. Similar situation happens in many other locations in the Andes on which topography, infrastructure and organizations restrict access to water for easy use in farming. Even in the most humid locations is easy to find limited access to water for productive purposes. Access and rights to use water is a growing concern.

Plains and valleys are frequently affected by floods. Rainfall patterns in the highlands are uncertain and information systems and early alerts are limited to prevent these. Many people is affected every year by floods near the Atlantic coasts of Colombia, the Pacific coast of Ecuador and wetland areas in the eastern Andes on which human settlements are rapidly appearing. Risk and vulnerability schemes do work in the region and local resources are easily responding to these chronic problem. Type 3 of water - poverty does exist but in some degree society is prepared to cope with this.

Type 4 form, low water productivity, is restricted to isolated and very specific areas. In particular to those places on which infrastructure, services, access to markets and technology is also limited. This is not a extensive form in the Andes but improvements are feasible since many producers, while relying on the abundance of water do not take care of it polluting and spoiling it.

Land and water degradation is a silence but growing problem. This is causing rural displacement, changes in land use, migration to cities and empowering population. Causes are linked to the history of colonization patters. Extensive cattle ranching in the hillsides and previous agricultural areas are an example. The fight for local power control associated with competition for the best land results in social violence. Areas near big plantations or remote areas devote to ilegal crops are some examples of this type of problem.

In the suburban settlements lack of sanitation and water provision is a common problem. Main capital cities are plenty of unplanned neighbourhoods where poor people from rural and secondaty cities live. This increases the demand of water from the sources and povision areas of the highlands.

How to cope with each particular situation is what Andes BFP is trying to contribute to. Using the three selected subbasins we will address some of these issues without loosing the whole picture analyzing the region as a whole.