Transboundary waters - Quality and environmental/economic issues concerning the South American development

Abstract

All countries in South America share continental waters with their bordering neighbors. These are mostly river waters but there are also lakes, groundwater and solid-state water, such as glaciers and snow. Brazil also shares surface-waters with its neighbors, especially those flowing in streams and rivers, either receiving them, as in the case of the Amazon Basin, or yielding them, as in the case of Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay River Basins. There are also swamps and lakes of various sizes related to river and coastal environments. They constitute transboundary water resources. Many of the freshwater resources are shared by two or more countries, however, there are few education programs in these countries aimed at preventing water shortage and flow of pollutants, especially contaminants harmful to public health. Economic policies in these countries frequently show no concern for the people, since the main goal of a business is maximum profitability, be it in mining or in any other kind of extractive activity, or in agriculture which includes the use of pesticides. There is also no concern for the depletion of resources other than water, such as soil, flora, and fauna. During mining, agricultural or timber extraction activities, the lack of prevention measures leads to loss of soil, which ends up in rivers, natural or artificial lakes, and/or swamped areas, causing all sorts of problems (such as, for example, chemical pollution) and deeply changing the characteristics of these water bodies. There is a reduction in flora and fauna not only in subaerial habitats, but also in aquatic environments that are badly affected, which leads to a dramatic reduction in fishing success. The riverside populations are usually the first to endure all the damage; however, even inhabitants of more distant areas, where waters were deviated, will also suffer the damage. Indian or traditional populations, their cultures and their important relationship with water should not be forgotten or disregarded.