Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates the paradoxical water security challenges in western Chilean Patagonia, where the regional abundance of water resources masks significant vulnerabilities of drinking water systems. We conducted an integrated socio-hydrological analysis over rural (APR) and urban (APU) drinking water systems, which provide water to approximately 846,000 people. We georeferenced 343 drinking water intake points, from which 51.6% are sourced from groundwater, and 45.8% from surface waters (2.6% other sources). An eco-hydrological characterization was conducted on the 147 watersheds supplying water to the surface intake points. Watersheds were characterized by their main hydrological, morphological, and land cover features, as well as by their level of anthropization (AI) and water stress index (WSI). Social dimensions were captured through structured interviews with 117 APR directorate leaders regarding their perceptions of infrastructure, governance, climate change, and local water management challenges. Our findings suggest that water availability in Patagonia creates a mirage of water security. AI and WSI indicate high variability in the status of water sources, with 25% of watersheds showing high levels of anthropization and 33% with medium to high levels of water stress, making it relevant to explore the results through a combination of hydroclimatic, longitudinal, and latitudinal gradients. A novel analysis linking WSI and AI to governance perceptions was conducted, finding significant inverse correlations between WSI and both technical capacity and users’ participation. Despite the region’s evident abundance of water resources, rural communities consistently express concerns regarding supply sustainability, infrastructure deficiencies, insufficient technical support, and climate change risks to current and future water availability, all of which constrain water security in Chilean Patagonia.
Source: Sustainability
DOI: 10.3390/su17188519
Authors: Cristián Frêne, Anna Astorga-Roine, Trace Gale, Benjamín Sotomayor, Andrea Báez-Montenegro, Juan P. Boisier, Camila Alvarez-Garreton, Brian L. Reid
Language: English
Subfield: Water Science and Technology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
Awards: G1053636016, G1212691448, G2222507620, G2427306826, G2476618942, GESTION INTEGRADA DE CUENCAS ABASTECEDORAS DE AGUA POTABLE EN EL SUR DE CHILE INFORMACION CIENTIFICA PARA APOYAR LA TOMA DE DECISIONES EN LA GESTION LOCAL DEL AGUA, G2791347723, G3642561167, G3959891069, G4186294482, CENTER FOR CLIMATE AND RESILIENCE RESEARCH (CR)2, G4312145593, G4580475084, G4584183016, G4615242452, G4899663313, THE ROLE OF HYDROLOGICAL MEMORY AND HUMAN INFLUENCE ON DROUGHT PROPAGATION AND RECOVERY, G5185646375, LABORATORIO ECO-CLIMATICO REGION DE AYSEN HACIA UNA INTEGRACION ECO-SISTEMICA, G5893224891, G5906977327, G5957876017, G6036331497, G6144053989, G663583094, ECOSYSTEM CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL LINKAGES ALONG THE CONTINENT-OCEAN CONTINUUM. LONG-TERM SOCIO ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN PATAGONIA (PATSER), G6957102488, G7131243772, SUSTAINABLE TERRITORIAL TRANSITIONS INTEGRATIVE STEWARDSHIP PLANNING (ST2ISP) IDENTIFYING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS IN PROTECTED AREA BUFFER ZONES., G7626332591, G7901221685, G7932355958, G7966106884, G8780915998, G998311293
OpenAlex ID: W7082638882