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Pitting the polluted against the flooded: water resource management in Tigre, Buenos Aires

Instituto del Conurbano, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento, J M Gutierrez 1150, Los Polvorines (B1613GSX), Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentinafsuarez{at}ungs.edu.ar

Ruben J Lombardo

Instituto del Conurbano, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento, J M Gutierrez 1150, Los Polvorines (B1613GSX), Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

People residing on the banks of the lower stretches of the Reconquista and Luján rivers, as well as in the first section of islands in the Tigre delta bordering Greater Buenos Aires, are affected by the water-management operations carried out in the Reconquista. This paper presents the findings of a study to analyze the perception and actual risk of water pollution, drawing on a survey of the population’s social vulnerability and an analysis of surface water quality. Exposure to the consumption of polluted water was examined using various parameters, including water quality, pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and surface temperature, so as to establish a hazard gradient. A focal area of risk was established, where there was spatial overlapping of social vulnerability with higher hazard levels. Systematic household sampling sought to identify water use and consumption habits, the level of perception of the quality of the resource and the degree of community organization. The level of social conflict relating to the water engineering works was also analyzed. This study demonstrates the need for integrated water resource management at an ecosystem-wide level, with a concern for a fairer distribution of the socio-environmental costs and benefits.

Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 16, No. 2, 185-198 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/095624780401600210


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