“Making the invisible visible: the hidden resource chosen by the UN to celebrate World Water Day

Argentina has 5.6 million hectares of wetlands and 53.6 million hectares of native forests, both ecosystems where water is vital. The photo shows Bañado la Estrella in Formosa, the second largest wetland in the country (Ministry of Tourism Formosa)

“Groundwater that makes the invisible visible”. It is the motto chosen this year by the United Nations to celebrate World Water Day, the resource without which life on earth is impossible. Excluding glaciers and polar ice caps, this water resource accounts for more than 90% of the fresh water available on Earth. Overexploitation and pollution of groundwater, mainly from agricultural uses, necessitates urgent action to protect it and promote a balance between abstraction and the ability of ecosystems to renew..

“We are heavily dependent on groundwater, but a lot of people don’t know that. World Water Day 2022 must help raise awareness among civil society, the private sector, international organizations and governments of the need to make water more visible, said Abou Amani, Director of the Science Department at UNESCO Water.

In Argentina, water is essential for sustainable and inclusive development: “It is vital for the development of its people, while playing a key role in strategic economic sectors. In addition to its importance for domestic use, water is a major player in the economy in our country: it is essential for agriculture, which is the main source of foreign exchange, 26% of energy comes from hydroelectric sources, more than 50% of industrial needs come from Sectors with high dependence on water (food, beverages, chemical products), 84% of exports go via water, ie the ParanáParaguay waterway, explains the latest report of the Bank World Valuing Water.

At an ecological level, Argentina has 5.6 million hectares of wetlands and 53.6 million hectares of native forests, both ecosystems where water is vital but many assets are under varying degrees of threat, the report details.

The quantitative importance of groundwater is greater than that of surface water, however Because it is a ‘hidden resource’ with a higher degree of inaccessibility, preventing pollution, monitoring and restoring its condition can be more complex than in surface water.

In contrast to surface water, groundwater moves very slowly, which has advantages and disadvantages: the slow movement creates a natural cleaning effect of organic pollutants; but it also implies that it is a resource whose management is not instantaneous, so each action takes years to complete the cycle.

In 1992 the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro. That year, the resolution was passed declaring March 22 of each year to be World Water Day (REUTERS / David Stanway)

water in numbers

Water security numbers aren’t just about access to the resource or the cost of investing in sanitation. Water infrastructure and governance also increase opportunities for improvement in a country’s economy.

With increased water security, annual economic costs can be reduced by 2.2% of GDP or $11.8 billion. More than half of this annual total reflects quality of life losses, including impacts on health and education, for people without access to clean water and sanitation. Other key cost drivers are waterrelated impacts from increasing exposure to climate change, especially droughts but also floods.

Floods are the most common threat in Argentina (54% of disasters since 1970) and drought is one of the top threats in the agricultural sector (particularly high risk level for nonirrigated agriculture such as soybeans), with average annual impacts of up to US$3 billion.

The lack of access to clean water and sanitation for 7.5 and 21 million people (17 and 48 percent of the total population, respectively) has an estimated economic impact of 1.32 percent of GDP. The population without access to tap water has to pay up to 460% more for clean (bottled) water than they would pay in the water bill if it were connected to the mains.

The required investments in water security (irrigation infrastructure, drinking water supply and sanitation) could increase the country’s GDP by up to 2.7% by 2030. In absolute terms, this means an additional value creation of 15 billion US dollars per year.

Drought is one of the biggest threats to Argentina’s agricultural sector (particularly a high risk for nonirrigated agriculture such as soybeans) with average annual impacts of up to $3 billion (REUTERS/Stringer)

As far as the diagnosis; However, investments alone are not enough. A comprehensive policy is necessary. For this reason, the report prepared by the World Bank contains some recommendations:

Strengthening of water resource management: includes improving national and provincial regulatory frameworks, strengthening the role of river basin organisations, particularly in planning areas, improving technical capacity and expanding the base of available information and transparency, particularly in relation to surface and groundwater availability and quality.

Reduce hydrological risks and increase resilience to droughts and floods: Creating early warning systems, green infrastructure, appropriate land use, improving urban planning and ensuring compliance with regulations, improving dam safety and expanding storage capacity with a particular focus on multiuse developments.

Inclusive and sustainable provision of water and sanitation: prioritize expansion of services for the most vulnerable, reform of the regulatory framework (new drinking water and waste water law); Improving the efficiency of service provision, expanding the information system and promoting circular economy measures.

Expanding irrigation services in a sustainable way to mitigate the effects of climate change: Improvement of efficient management that is compatible with other uses and integration into catchment area planning, cost recovery, new forms of financing with the private sector.

CONTINUE READING:

World Wetlands Day: Ecosystems vital to life at riskWorld Water Day: What are its benefits and how many liters should be withdrawn per day?