Integrated water management in Chile

What is it about?

The present chapterpresents a general overview of Chile’s water resources, its water institutionality and water legislation, and the obstacles that have prevented a decided adoption of an integrated water management framework. We identify key actions that are required to effectively advance towards an integrated water management framework in Chile. The most important of these are the following. Groundwater users must implement groundwater user associations and integrate these to the Juntas de Vigilancia so as to apply conjunct surface and groundwater management. Additionally, the Water Code of 1981 establishes that water use right owners are responsible for water management. However, it is imperative to strengthen all WUAs so that each one develops a strong rule of law, effective conflict resolution, and effective collective management. Finally, water users should implement Supra Organizations of Juntas de Vigilancia to integrate different river sections and aquifer hydrogeological sectors allowing for an integrated management of different river sections and aquifer hydrological sections. This does not require a water legislation modification.

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Why is it important?

This chapter showcases the advances and limitations of the current institutional system, highlighting a number of existing challenges in water management, where the institutionality has been found to be incapable of providing suitable responses and an efficient and equitable management, in a framework of environmental sustainability, in view of the needs imposed by Chile’s development

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