{"id":160122,"date":"2024-01-19T13:08:46","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T18:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/?p=160122"},"modified":"2024-01-19T13:08:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T18:08:50","slug":"a-medida-que-aumenta-la-escasez-los-paises-buscan-nuevas-fuentes-de-agua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/?p=160122","title":{"rendered":"A medida que aumenta la escasez, los pa\u00edses buscan nuevas fuentes de agua\u200b"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Si se conduce por los caminos polvorientos del distrito rural de Mount Airy en Jamaica, se ver\u00e1n docenas de tanques de aguas negras, muchos de ellos conectados con tuber\u00edas de desag\u00fce que llegan a los tejados de las casas vecinas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los tanques miden dos metros de altura. Recogen agua de lluvia y, a trav\u00e9s de un sistema de riego por goteo, la canalizan hacia campos cercanos llenos de tomates, pimientos y batatas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En una zona cada vez m\u00e1s afectada por la sequ\u00eda, que se ha relacionado con el cambio clim\u00e1tico, estos tanques se han convertido en un salvavidas para los agricultores locales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTodos los que conozco se enfrentan al mismo desaf\u00edo de una menor cantidad de lluvias y precipitaciones menos predecibles\u201d, dice la agricultora Althea Spencer. Tener el sistema de recolecci\u00f3n de agua de lluvia instalado \u201cse siente bastante bien\u201d, a\u00f1ade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Un nuevo portal pretende mejorar la calidad del agua a trav\u00e9s de mejores datos
El trabajo de Mount Airy cuenta con el apoyo del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA). Es parte de un esfuerzo de comunidades de todo el mundo para gestionar el agua de manera m\u00e1s sostenible y encontrar nuevas fuentes de agua, una b\u00fasqueda que ha involucrado de todo, desde purificar aguas residuales hasta sembrar nubes. Esos esfuerzos est\u00e1n siendo impulsados por lo que los expertos dicen que es una inminente crisis mundial del agua, alimentada en parte por el cambio clim\u00e1tico, que podr\u00eda dejar a dos tercios de la humanidad enfrentando estr\u00e9s h\u00eddrico el pr\u00f3ximo a\u00f1o.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00abLa escasez de agua se ha convertido en un problema cr\u00edtico para un n\u00famero cada vez mayor de pa\u00edses\u00bb, dice Leticia Carvalho, Coordinadora Principal de la Subdivisi\u00f3n de Agua Dulce y Marina del PNUMA. \u201cPor lo tanto, los pa\u00edses de todo el mundo tendr\u00e1n que ser m\u00e1s creativos en la forma de gestionar, conservar y asegurar las fuentes de agua en los pr\u00f3ximos a\u00f1os. El uso inteligente de fuentes de agua no convencionales y en armon\u00eda con la naturaleza ser\u00e1 esencial para acelerar el progreso hacia los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Se espera que la seguridad h\u00eddrica est\u00e9 en la agenda cuando los l\u00edderes se re\u00fanan en Nairobi, Kenia, el pr\u00f3ximo mes para la sexta sesi\u00f3n de la Asamblea de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente, el \u00f3rgano de toma de decisiones de m\u00e1s alto nivel del mundo sobre cuestiones relacionadas con el medio ambiente.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personas agitando jarras de agua vac\u00edas en una protesta.
Los manifestantes denuncian la escasez de agua en Montevideo, Uruguay. Unos 2.400 millones de personas viven en pa\u00edses con escasez de agua, cifra que se espera que aumente espectacularmente en los pr\u00f3ximos a\u00f1os. Foto: AFP\/Eitan Abramovich
Hoy en d\u00eda, 2.400 millones de personas viven en pa\u00edses con escasez de agua, definidos como naciones que extraen el 25 por ciento o m\u00e1s de sus recursos renovables de agua dulce para satisfacer la demanda de agua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Las regiones m\u00e1s afectadas incluyen Asia meridional y central y \u00c1frica del Norte, donde la situaci\u00f3n se considera cr\u00edtica. Incluso pa\u00edses con infraestructura altamente desarrollada, como Estados Unidos, est\u00e1n viendo caer los niveles de agua a m\u00ednimos hist\u00f3ricos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Junto con el cambio clim\u00e1tico, la crisis se ve alimentada por la urbanizaci\u00f3n descontrolada, el r\u00e1pido crecimiento demogr\u00e1fico, la contaminaci\u00f3n y el desarrollo territorial. La escasez de agua ya afecta a todo, desde la seguridad alimentaria hasta la biodiversidad, y en los pr\u00f3ximos a\u00f1os est\u00e1 a punto de volverse m\u00e1s com\u00fan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Para 2025, es probable que 1.800 millones de personas enfrenten lo que la Organizaci\u00f3n para la Agricultura y la Alimentaci\u00f3n (FAO) llama \u201cescasez absoluta de agua\u201d y se espera que dos tercios de la poblaci\u00f3n mundial enfrenten estr\u00e9s h\u00eddrico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repensando d\u00f3nde conseguir agua<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hist\u00f3ricamente, la mayor parte del agua dulce para beber y saneamiento proviene de acu\u00edferos subterr\u00e1neos. Pero muchos se est\u00e1n secando debido al uso excesivo, a las temporadas secas m\u00e1s prolongadas y a la sequ\u00eda. Este es un factor de riesgo elevado para los peque\u00f1os estados insulares en desarrollo donde el agua dulce est\u00e1 cada vez m\u00e1s amenazada por la salinizaci\u00f3n a medida que aumentan los niveles del mar y se hunden las tierras degradadas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En un intento por encontrar agua, los pa\u00edses est\u00e1n recurriendo a fuentes menos convencionales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En algunas zonas rurales, incluso en Chile y Per\u00fa, las comunidades est\u00e1n recolectando agua suspendida en el aire. Algunos de estos sistemas utilizan una malla fina para atrapar peque\u00f1as gotas de niebla y extraerlas hacia un dep\u00f3sito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muchas comunidades tambi\u00e9n est\u00e1n considerando las aguas residuales como una posible respuesta al estr\u00e9s h\u00eddrico. Un informe del PNUMA de 2023 encontr\u00f3 que podr\u00eda suministrar m\u00e1s de 10 veces el agua que proporcionan las plantas desalinizadoras actuales del mundo. Las aguas residuales tambi\u00e9n son una fuente de energ\u00eda, nutrientes y otros materiales recuperables; sin embargo, s\u00f3lo el 58 por ciento de las aguas residuales dom\u00e9sticas se tratan de forma segura en todo el mundo. Las aguas residuales muchas veces no se reutilizan por temor a los contagios, los micropl\u00e1sticos y los medicamentos antimicrobianos. Pero los expertos dicen que con las pol\u00edticas y tecnolog\u00edas adecuadas, se puede dar una segunda vida a las aguas residuales de manera segura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Drive down the dusty roads of Jamaica\u2019s rural Mount Airy district and one will see dozens of black water tanks, many connected with drainpipes to the rooftops of neighbouring houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tanks measure two metres tall. They collect rainwater and through a drip irrigation system, channel it to nearby fields brimming with tomatoes, peppers and sweet potatoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an area increasingly plagued by drought, which has been linked to climate change<\/a>, these tanks have become a lifeline for local farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverybody I know faces the same challenge of reduced rain and less predictable rainfall,\u201d says farmer Althea Spencer. Having the rainwater harvesting system<\/a> in place \u201cfeels pretty good,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RELATED<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

STORY<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rivers, lakes under mounting pressure<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A new portal aims to improve water quality through better data<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mount Airy work is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is part of a push by communities around the world to manage water more sustainably and to find novel sources of water, a quest that has involved everything from purifying sewage to seeding clouds. Those efforts are being driven by what experts say is a looming global water crisis, fed in part by climate change, that could leave two-thirds of humanity facing water stress by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWater scarcity has become a critical issue for an increasing number of countries,\u201d says Leticia Carvalho, Principal Coordinator of UNEP\u2019s Freshwater and Marine Branch. \u201cCountries across the globe will therefore need to be more creative in the way they manage, conserve and secure water sources in the years to come. Using unconventional water sources wisely, and in harmony with nature, will be essential for accelerated progress on the Sustainable Development Goals<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water security is expected to be on the agenda when leaders meet in Nairobi, Kenya next month for the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly<\/a>, the world\u2019s highest-level decision-making body on issues related to the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People
Protesters decry water shortages in Montevideo, Uruguay. Some 2.4 billion people live in water-stressed countries, a number expected to rise dramatically in the years to come. Photo: AFP\/Eitan Abramovich<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, 2.4 billion people live in water-stressed countries<\/a>, defined as nations that withdraw 25 per cent or more of their renewable freshwater resources to meet water demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hard hit regions include Southern and Central Asia, and North Africa, where the situation is considered critical. Even countries with highly developed infrastructure, like the United States, are seeing water levels drop to record lows<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with climate change, the crisis is being fed by unchecked urbanization, rapid population growth, pollution and land development. Water shortfalls already affect everything from food security to biodiversity and in the coming years, they are poised to become more common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 2025, 1.8 billion people are likely to face what the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) calls \u201cabsolute water scarcity<\/a>\u201d and two-thirds of the global population is expected to be grappling with water stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rethinking where to get water<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, most fresh water for drinking and sanitation has come from groundwater aquifers. But many are drying up due to overuse, longer dry seasons and drought. This is a heightened risk factor for small island developing states where freshwater is becoming increasingly threatened by salination as sea levels rise and degraded lands sink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=R0XQ5q7CsR8%3Fenablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.unep.org<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a bid to find water, countries are turning to more unconventional sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some rural areas, including in Chile<\/a> and Peru<\/a>, communities are collecting water suspended in the air. Some of these systems use a fine mesh to trap tiny droplets of fog and syphon them into a reservoir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many communities are also looking at wastewater as a potential answer to water stress. A 2023 UNEP report<\/a> found it could supply more than 10 times the water provided by the world\u2019s current desalination plants. Wastewater is also a source of energy, nutrients and other recoverable materials, yet only 58 per cent<\/a> of household wastewater is safely treated globally. Wastewater is often not reused due to fears about contagions, microplastics and antimicrobial drugs. But experts say with the right policies and technologies, wastewater can safely be given a second life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Desalination plants, like this one in Saudi Arabia, provide drinking water to 300 million people around the world. However, there are concerns about the environmental toll of the facilities, which often run on fossil fuels and discharge toxic brine. Photo: AFP\/Fayez Nurledine<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, countries have started to embrace desalination, the process of removing salt from saltwater and filtering it to produce drinking water. According to a 2018 UN study<\/a> there are 15,906 operational desalination plants producing around 95 million cubic metres a day of desalinated water for human use, of which 48 per cent is produced in West Asia and North Africa. The global dependence on desalination is predicted to grow rapidly in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00abWater scarcity has become a critical issue for an increasing number of countries, particularly in the Global South.\u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leticia Carvalho, UNEP<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several nations, such as Bahamas, Maldives and Malta, meet all their water needs through desalination, and about half of Saudi Arabia\u2019s drinking water comes from it. However, desalination requires hefty investment in piping and pumping infrastructure, while the fossil fuels normally used in the energy-intensive desalination process contribute to global warming. The toxic brine desalination produces also pollutes coastal ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their quest to find more water, countries are also looking to tap the atmosphere which is estimated to contain 13,000 cubic kilometres<\/a> of water vapour. A growing number of countries are experimenting with cloud seeding, a technique in which clouds are sown with silver iodide to make them rain or snow. Nations from Australia<\/a> to South Africa have invested in the technology, and China has one of the world\u2019s most ambitious programmes. However, guardrails need to be put in place, say experts, to avoid unintended consequences, such as drought in other regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunities and barriers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While nations search for new sources of fresh water, experts say communities also need to better manage the water they do have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that front, the biggest opportunity is in lessening water loss in agricultural systems by, for example, investing in drip irrigation. Experts also say cities, home to more than half the world\u2019s people, must do a better job of stemming water losses, including from leaky pipes. In the United States, for example, more than 3.7 trillion litres<\/a> of water are lost annually to faulty household plumbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"
In Jamaica, farmers say newly installed drip irrigation systems are helping to fend off water shortages brought on by climate change. Photo: Thomas Gordon-Martin<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsing our existing water resources much more efficiently, while also tapping unconventional water sources has huge potential to improve lives and livelihoods,\u201d said UNEP\u2019s Carvalho. Policymakers in water-scarce countries need to \u201cradically rethink\u201d their water planning policies by adding unconventional sources of water to the mix, she added. \u201cFor this to happen quickly international financial support, along with science to guide the sustainability of various approaches is urgently needed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further information, please contact Lis Mullin Bernhardt: <\/em>lis.bernhardt@un.org<\/em><\/a> or Alex Pires: <\/em>alex.pires@un.org<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Si se conduce por los caminos polvorientos del distrito rural de Mount Airy en Jamaica, se ver\u00e1n docenas de tanques de aguas negras, muchos de ellos conectados con tuber\u00edas de desag\u00fce que llegan a los tejados de las casas vecinas. Los tanques miden dos metros de altura. Recogen agua de lluvia y, a trav\u00e9s de […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":160123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ecologia"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportseco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/33CK3CP-highres_0.jpg?fit=840%2C560&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=160122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":160124,"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160122\/revisions\/160124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/160123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=160122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=160122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportseco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=160122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}