Rapid economic growth coupled with urbanisation in Arequipa, Peru鈥檚 second largest city, has created a raft of societal and environmental problems. These include large-scale migration into the city and intense competition over natural resources, particularly in the context of meeting future water demands under a changing climate. Arequipa鈥檚 growing population needs water to meet domestic supply, as does irrigated agriculture, hydropower and the mining industries.
The water supply in Arequipa is threatened by climate warming in the Andes – the main source of water supply for the city.
The increased environmental pressures and concentration of water demands in an arid region has led to real concerns regarding the sustainability of traditional water sources unless long-term strategic water planning policies are implemented.
“When there’s competition on a scale and intensity like this, it’s always the most vulnerable members of society that lose out - the poor migrants, peasant communities, ageing small farmers. There’s always the danger of social unrest and increased social inequalities, particularly when natural resources are limited and there is a lack of appropriate governance mechanisms to regulate and manage them,” said Dr Gloria Salmoral, lead researcher. “It’s more important than ever that natural resources are carefully managed, there’s a strong institutional and governance framework in place, and that collaboration and co-operation across government bodies, the private sector and civil society is encouraged. There needs to be a recognition of the fundamental inter-dependencies between land, water and energy management for sustainable economic development.”
The research was carried out by 星空体育官网 staff Dr Salmoral and Professor Jerry Knox, with support from local Peruvian partners (Grupo de Analisis para el Desarrollo, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Peru and