FERNANDO URQUIDI BARRAU
SAO PAULO – BrazilJUNE 2012 Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
INTRODUCTIONSouth America is a large continent with a
great amount of water resources; these resources are shared by two or more countries through transboundary basins.
About 85 percent of the surface freshwater resources flow through three large basins:
The Orinoco River Basin The Amazon River Basin The Rio de la Plata Basin
The remaining 15 percent flow through thecourse of several smaller basins.
South America has more than 30 water international transboundary basins, of which only six have signed freshwater treaties/agreements to use or to protect them.
The challenge for all the countries is to identify these basins as transboundary, and to choose the appropriate institutional organization model for the management and protection of these shared resource.
INTRODUCTION
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
MAP OF TRANSBOUNDARY BASINS IN SOUTH AMERICA
Source: Oregon State University.TFDD, 2001Becci Dale, cartographer
TRANSBOUNDARY SURFACE WATERS
BASINTOTAL AREA(km²)
COUNTRIESSURFACE IN THE BASIN
(km²)
SURFACE IN THE BASIN
(%)
Amaruco 5,600 Venezuela Guiana
4,900700
86.8913.11
Amazon 6,916,000
BrazilPerúBoliviaColombiaEcuadorVenezuelaGuianaSurinameFrench Guiana
5,014,100762,143600,308336,809130,02051,17817,1201,382
30
72.5011.028.684.871.880.740.250.020.00
Comau 980 ChileArgentina
90080
91.368.64
Corantijn/Courantyne 41,800GuianaSurinameBrazil
21,70019,900
80
52.0647.750.19
Cullen 600 ChileArgentina
500100
83.0017.00
TRANSBOUNDARY SURFACE WATERS
BASINTOTAL AREA(km²)
COUNTRIESSURFACE IN THE BASIN
(km²)
SURFACE IN THE BASIN
(%)
Chira-Catamayo 15,700 PerúEcuador
9,8005,800
62.2337.23
Jurado 700 ColombiaPanamá
500200
71.4228.58
Lago Fagnano 3,200 ArgentinaChile
2,700500
85.1714.83
Laguna Mirim 55,000 UruguayBrazil
31,20023,800
56.6943.24
Oiapoque 23,300 French GuianaBrazil
13,7009,500
58.9241.00
Orinoco 927,400VenezuelaColombiaBrazil
604,500321,700
800
65.1834.680.08
Palena 13,300 ChileArgentina
7,3006,000
54.8745.13
Pascua 13,700 ChileArgentina
7,3006,400
53.5146.46
TRANSBOUNDARY SURFACE WATERS
BASINTOTAL AREA(km²)
COUNTRIESSURFACE IN THE BASIN
(km²)
SURFACE IN THE BASIN
(%)
Patia 21,300 ColombiaEcuador
20,800500
97.612.38
Puelo 8,400 ArgentinaChile
5,5002,900
66.0333.97
Rio de la Plata 3,100,000(4,144,000)
BrazilArgentinaParaguayBoliviaUruguay
1,395,000930,000403,000217,000155,000
45,0030,0013,007.005.00
Titicaca - Poopo 111,800BoliviaPerúChile
63,00048,000
800
56.3242.940.70
Yelcho 11,100 ArgentinaChile
6,9004,200
62.1437.86
Zapaleri 2,600ChileArgentinaBolivia
1,600500500
59.6019.6519.65
Zarumilla 4,300 EcuadorPerú
3,400900
78.7121.29
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
Orinoco River
Orinoco River
Treaties:• No signed international treaties Venezuela Colombia Brazil
• Area: 927,400 km²
• Average waterdischarge: 36,000 m³/s
• River length : 2,140 km
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
Cachuela Esperanza
Beni River
Treaties:• 4 international treaties signed Brazil Perú Bolivia Colombia Ecuador Venezuela Guiana Suriname French Guiana
• Area: 6,916,000 km²
• Average water discharge:209,000 m³/s
• River length : 6,400 km
AMAZON RIVER BASIN
Only majorrivers are visualized
AMAZON RIVER BASIN
Estuary of Amazon River
AMAZON RIVER BASIN
Amazon River
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
Paraguay River
Treaties:18 international treaties signed Brazil Argentina Paraguay Bolivia Uruguay
• Area: 3,100,000 km²(4,144,000 km²)
• Average waterdischarge: 22,793 m³/s
• River length: 4,800 km
Iguazú Waterfalls
Only major rivers are visualized
RIO DE LA PLATA BASIN
RIVERS BASIN AREA (km²) LENGTH (km) MEAN FLOW
(m³/sec)
Paraná 1,600,000 2,570 17,140
Uruguay 440,000 1,850 4,300
Iguazú 61,000 1,320 1,540
Paraguay 1,095,000 2,415 3,810
Bermejo 120,000 1,780 550
Pilcomayo 272,000 1,125 195
De la Plata 3,100,000 270 23,000 – 28,000
RIO DE LA PLATA BASINCHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAJOR RIVERS
Source: UNEP, 2004
Satellite image of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers converging into the Río de la Plata
Two sub basins of the Plata Basin flowing from Bolivia:
• Sub Basin Pilcomayo
• Sub Basin Bermejo
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
CASE STUDY
LAKE TITICACA –POOPO BASIN
LAKE TITICACA – POOPO BASIN
Endorheic Basin of 110,800 km² locatedin the Altiplano of Bolivia and Peru
Primary Inflow: 27 rivers
Primary Outflows: Desaguadero
River Evaporation
Major Sub-Basins: Lake Titicaca Desaguadero
River Lake Poopo Coipasa Salt Lake
• The surface of Lake Titicaca is evenly distributed between Bolivia and Peru, these countries exercise an ‘exclusive and indivisible joint ownership’ over its waters.• The joint ownership model not only applies to the water of Lake Titicaca, but also to the entire watershed, to ensure an integrated management of the water system.• To manage the System, Bolivia and Peru have signed a treaty for the creation of the Autonomous Binational Authority of Lake Titicaca (ATL).• This entity of public international law has two national operative units to promote and conduct programmes and projects, and to implement and enforce the regulations on management, control and protection of the system’s water resources within an adopted Master Plan.• ATL’s political functioning is associated with the Peruvian and Bolivian Ministries of Foreign Affairs.• ATL has administration, planning and coordination units within each government.
THE BINATIONAL AUTONOMOUS AUTHORITY OF LAKE TITICACA (ATL)
THE BINATIONAL AUTONOMOUS AUTHORITY OF LAKE TITICACA (ATL)
• Five previous agreements, through Exchange of Diplomatic Notes.• December 1992 - Creation de of the Binational Entity, to execute the
Master Plan of the System.• 1996 - Creation of the Binational Autonomous Authority of Lake
Titicaca (ATL).
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS IN
SOUTH AMERICA
Source: UNESCO/OAS ISARM AmericasProgramme
Map Nr. Transboundary Aquifer Countries Nr.
1 Guarani Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina 4
2 Yrenda-Toba-Tarijeno Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina 3
3 Salto Chico – Salto Chico Argentina, Uruguay 24 Litoreano-Chuy Brazil, Uruguay 25 Puerto Yerua-Las Mercedes Argentina, Uruguay 26 Probable Argentina, Chile 27 El Condor Argentina, Chile 28 Calua Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina 3
9 Serra Gerai-Serra Gerai Arapei Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina 4
10 Ignimbritas Cordillera Occidental Bolivia, Chile, Perú 3
11 Solmoes Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú 5
12 Jaci Parani y Pareci Bolivia, Brazil 2
UNESCO/OAS ISARM AMERICAS PROGRAMME TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS
Map Nr. Transboundary Aquifer Countries Nr.
13 Pantanal Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay 314 Permianos Brazil, Uruguay 215 Ica Brazil, Colombia 216 Sedimentos Paleo-Proterozoico Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela 317 Serra do Tucano Brazil, Guyana 218 Boa Vista Brazil, Guyana 219 Sem Denominacao Brazil, Guyana 220 Costeiro Brazil, Guyana 221 Fumas e Alto Gracas Brazil, Paraguay 222 Zarumila - Machala Ecuador, Perú 223 Concorda - Capilna Chile, Perú 224 Silala Bolivia, Chile 225 Puna Argentina, Chile 226 Tulcan Colombia, Ecuador 2
UNESCO/OAS ISARM AMERICAS PROGRAMME TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS
Map Nr. Transboundary Aquifer Countries Nr.
27 Aquidauana - Aquidaban Brazil, Paraguay 228 Agua Dulce Palmar de las Islas Bolivia, Paraguay 229 Titicaca Bolivia, Perú 230 Arauca Colombia, Venezuela 231 Guajra Colombia, Venezuela 232 San Antonio Urena Santander Colombia, Venezuela 233 Sedimentos Grupo Roraima Brazil, Venezuela 234 Sanderj; Coesewjne; A-Sand Guyana, Suriname 235 Jurado - Coto Colombia, Panamá 263 Rio Negro - Itapucumi Bolivia, Paraguay 264 Tumbes - Puyango Ecuador, Perú 265 Chira - Catamayo Ecuador, Perú 2--- Laguna Blanca - Maure Perú, Bolivia, Chile 3--- Ollague - Chiguana Bolivia, Chile 2
UNESCO/OAS ISARM AMERICAS PROGRAMME TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS
CASE STUDY
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
GUARANI AQUIFER SYSTEM
Shared by: Brazil Paraguay Argentina Uruguay
GUARANI AQUIFER SYSTEM• The Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) constitutes one of the largest reservoirs of groundwater in the world.
• The water in the Mesozoic sandstones can be found at depths between 50 m to 1500 m covered by thick layers of basalts.
• It contains an estimated 37,000 km³ of water, with a total recharge rate of about 166 km³/year from precipitation.
CASE STUDY
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
THE SILALA AQUIFER SYSTEM
Location Map
22º
• The Silala Aquifer System discharges 500 liters/sec through more than 80 (in Bolivia) and 23 (in Chile) natural water springs.• All the water is confined in a highly jointed Miocene ignimbrite at a depth between 50 m to 150 m.• The sodium bicarbonate type “A” freshwater is 10,000 years old, free of arsenic and other contaminants. The surface water flows west towards Chile through man-made open channels.
SILALA AQUIFER SYSTEM
SilalaBolivian Side
Northern Bofedal
Southern Bofedal
SilalaBolivian Side
Main Open Channel
Main Gorge
Silala Chilean Side
Main Gorge
Fractured Ignimbrite
Main Gorge
Open Channels
CASE STUDY
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
Superficial Total Areal: 300.000 km2Geological Formation: • Quaternary / Tertiary non-consolidated sediments• Multi surface - Semi confined aquifer
Location Map
YRENDA – TOBA –TARIJEÑO
AQUIFER SYSTEM
Source: Pasig, R. - 2005
Recharging Areas of the Tarijeño Aquifer
Caiza River Pilcomayo River
Infiltration:
1. Direct rain waterfall (Piedemont sector /Aguarague)
2. Surface water courses(creeks and rivers / Pilcomayo Riverand Caiza River)
Range of the Aguarague
Source: Pasig, R. - 2005
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
• The water crisis is primarily one of governance: institutions lack the capacity to overcome conflicting approaches in the use and allocation of water from within one basin or aquifer system, both at national and transboundary level• Water-related systems are interdependent and have to be managed in an integrated manner• Despite an increased dependency on groundwater resources, transboundary aquifers have received little attention in international law
CONCLUSIONS
THANKS
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia
MAP OF TRANSBOUNDARY BASINS IN SOUTH AMERICA
Source: National University of El Litoral, Argentina
LIST OF INTERNATIONAL TREATIESTREATY NAME COUNTRIES DATE TREATY BASIN
AMAZON BASINExchange of notes constituting an agreement for the construction of a hydroelectric plant in CachuelaEsperanza, supplementary to theagreement on economic and technical cooperation.
BrazilBolivia
August 2, 1988
BeniMadeiraMamore
Agreement concerning the Cachuela Esperanza hydroelectric plant.
BrazilBolivia
February 8, 1984 Beni
Treaty for Amazonian Cooperation.
BoliviaBrazilColombia EcuadorGuainaPerúSurinameVenezuela
July 3, 1978 Amazon
Termination of the demarcation of the Peruvian-Ecuadorean frontier
PerúEcuador
May 22, 1944
Amazon, Chira,Tumbes, Zarumilla
TREATY NAME COUNTRIES DATE TREATY BASIN
RIO DE LA PLATA BASINAgreement for the use of natural resources and the development of the Cuareim river basin.
BrazilUruguay
May 6,1997 Cuareim
Agreement constituting the trilateral commission for thedevelopment of the Pilcomayo river basin.
ArgentinaBoliviaParaguay
September 2, 1995 Pilcomayo
Agreement for the multiple uses of the resources of the upper basin of the Bermejo river and the Grande de Tarija river.
ArgentinaBolivia
June 9,1995
BermejoGrande de Tarija
Agreement of cooperation for the use of natural resources andthe development of the basin of the Cuareim river
BrazilUruguay
March 11, 1991 Cuareim
Complementary agreement to the basic scientific and technical cooperation agreement in the area of water resources
BrazilUruguay
March 11, 1991 Not specified
LIST OF INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
TREATY NAME COUNTRIES DATE TREATY BASINDecree No. 88.441 promulgating the agreement for water resources exploitation within the Uruguay river and its effluent the Pepiri-Guazu river
BrazilArgentina
June 29, 1983
Pepiri-Guazu,Uruguay
Treaty for the development of the water resources contained in the border reaches of the Uruguay river and its effluent, the Pepiri-Guazu river.
BrazilArgentina
May 17,1980
Pepiri-Guazu,Uruguay
Agreement on Paraná River projects
ArgentinaBrazilParaguay
October 19, 1979 Paraná
Statute of the Uruguay River in Salto, Eastern of Uruguay
ArgentinaUruguay
February 26, 1975 Uruguay
Treaty concerning the hydroelectric utilization of the water resources of the Parana River owned in condominium by Brazil and Paraguay.
BrazilParaguay
April 26, 1973
Iguassu,Paraná
LIST OF INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
TREATY NAME COUNTRIES DATE TREATY BASINTreaty on the boundaryconstituted by the Uruguay river
ArgentinaUruguay
April 7,1961 Uruguay
Agreement concerning a study of the utilization of the water power of the Apipe Falls
ArgentinaParaguay
January 23, 1958 Paraná
Agreement concerning cooperation in a study on the utilization of the water power of the Acaray and Monday rivers
BrazilParaguay
January 20, 1956
AcarayMonday
Agreement concerning the utilization of the rapids ofthe Uruguay river in the Salto Grande area
Argentina; Uruguay
December 30, 1946 Uruguay
Supplementary boundary treaty on the river Pilcomayo and protocol annexed to the treaty
ArgentinaParaguay
June 1,1945 Pilcomayo
Supplementary boundary treaty ArgentinaParaguay
July 5,1939 Pilcomayo
LIST OF INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
TREATY NAME COUNTRIES DATE TREATY BASINConvention to determine the legal status of the frontier between Brazil and Uruguay
BrazilUruguay
December 20, 1933
Frontier or sharedWaters
Protocol between Uruguay and Argentina dealing with the questions of the jurisdiction of the River Plate
Argentina Uruguay
January 5, 1910 Rio de la Plata
CHUYComplementary agreement to the basic scientific and technical cooperation agreement in the area of water resources
BrazilUruguay
March 11, 1991 Not specified
Convention regarding the determination of the legalstatus of the frontier between Brazil and Uruguay
BrazilUruguay
December 20, 1933
Frontier orshared waters
MARONIConvention to fix the frontier of Surinamee and French Guiana
France Netherlands
September 30, 1915
Maroni,Marowinjne
LIST OF INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
TREATY NAME COUNTRIES DATE TREATY BASIN
LAGOON MIRINConvention regarding the determination of the legal status of the frontier between Brazil and Uruguay
BrazilUruguay
December 20, 1933
Frontier or sharedWaters
Protocol between Uruguay and Argentina dealing with the questions of the jurisdiction of the River Plate
Argentina Uruguay
January 5, 1910 Rio de la Plata
Complementary agreement to the basic scientific and technical cooperation agreement in the area of water resources
BrazilUruguay
March 11, 1991 Not specified
Convention regarding the determination of the legalstatus of the frontier between Brazil and Uruguay
BrazilUruguay
December 20, 1933
Frontier orshared waters
LIST OF INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
TREATY NAME COUNTRIES DATE TREATY BASIN
LAKE TITICACA - POOPOExchange of Diplomatic Notes related to the creation of the Autonomous Binational Authority of the Basin of the Lake Titicaca, Desaguadero River, Lake Poopóand Coipasa Salt Flat System
BoliviaPerú
June 21,1993
Desaguadero,Poopó, Salar deCoipasa,Titicaca
Agreement on a preliminary economic study of the joint utilization of the waters of Lake Titicaca
BoliviaPerú
February 19, 1957 Lake Titicaca
Preliminary convention concerning a study of the joint utilization of the waters of Lake Titicaca
BoliviaPerú
July 30,1955 Lake Titicaca
Exchange of Diplomatic Notes establishing a joint commission for study of the Puno-Guaquirailway line and joint use of the waters of Lake Titicaca
BoliviaPerú
April 20, 1955 Lake Titicaca
LIST OF INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences – IANAS Water Programme.
Organization of American States / Unit of Sustainable Development and Environment (OAS / USDE).
Comité Regional de Recursos Hídricos (CRRH). Global Water Partnership / South American Technical
Advisory Committee (GWP / SAMTAC). International Hydrological Programme (IHP – UNESCO). Hydrology for International Environment and Network Data. Flow Regimes from Integral Experimental and Network Data
(FRIEND). ISARMAC / Americas - Internationally Shared Aquifer
Resources Management. World-wide Hydrogeological Mapping and Assessment
Programme (WHYMAP).
LIST OF REGIONAL WATER PROGRAMMES
Centro del Agua para Zonas Aridas y Semiáridas del ALC (CAZALAC).
Centro del Agua para el Trópico Húmedo del ALC (CATHALAC).
Project for the Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development of the Guarani Aquifer System.
Strategic Action Programme for the Binational Basin of the Bermejo River.
Development and Implementation of Mechanisms to Disseminated Lessons Learned and Experiences in Integrated Transboundary Water Resources Management in Latin America and Caribbean – DELTAmerica.
The Integrated Watershed Management Practices for the Pantanal and Upper Paraguay River Basin Project.
Inter-American Water Resources Network (IWRN) - UNESCO.
LIST OF REGIONAL WATER PROGRAMMES