Water stress in parts of the Americas and caribbean region has fuelled a number of conflicts.

 

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) possess an average water endowment per inhabitant of close to 28,000 cubic metres per year, which is more than four times the world average of 6,000 m3 /inhabitant/year. Water stress in parts of the Americas and caribbean region has fuelled a number of conflicts, as various sectors, including agriculture, hydroelectricity, mining and even drinking water and sanitation, are competing over scarce resources. Some of the major obstacles in securing effective allocation processes are connected to poor regulation, missing incentives and/or lack of investment. All these factors ultimately reflect the low value that is largely attributed to water resources in the region. The average proportion of wastewater that is safely treated is just below 40%. About a quarter of the river stretches in the region are affected by severe pathogenic contamination. The main source of this kind of pollution is domestic sewage.