Socio-hydrological dynamics and water conflicts in the upper Huasco Valley, Chile

Keywords: socio-hydrology, land use change, mining, water insecurity, Pascua Lama, Andes
Abstract Type: Virtual Paper Abstract

Abstract

In arid regions of north-central Chile, agricultural land use change and mining activities lead to water insecurity and resource conflicts. Different user groups, such as mining companies, agricultural producers, and local communities across the region rely on scarce water resources, which are highly dependent on the Andean cryosphere.
Based on an integrated perspective on human-water-relations, this study assesses changing water demands and associated conflicts in the upper Huasco valley using a multi-method approach. Empirical research combines social science and remote sensing methods to assess regional socio-hydrological dynamics. Land use change and water (in)security are analysed on multiple scales that are key for an improved understanding of the changing waterscape.
The area has witnessed conflicts over water ever since the Pascua Lama gold mine became a focus of resistance for the extraction of mineral resources in the Andean Cordillera and received international media attention. Environmental impacts of mining activities on glaciers and regional water availability have been in the foreground in this conflict. At the same time, competing water demands are fuelled by the intensification of export-oriented agriculture.
The results show the expansion of water intensive agricultural land use, cryosphere change and the impact of mining, and relate these processes to the discourses on water scarcity. The case study stresses that such integrative assessments through a socio-hydrological lens are needed for a better understanding of water scarcity and related conflicts and as a base for more equitable water governance.