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Drinking Water Supply in the Region of Antofagasta (Chile): A Challenge between Past, Present and Future

Author

Listed:
  • Barbara Ruffino

    (DIATI–Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
    CleanWaterCenter@PoliTO, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy)

  • Giuseppe Campo

    (DIATI–Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy)

  • Dafne Crutchik

    (Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago 7941169, Chile)

  • Arturo Reyes

    (Departamento de Ingeniería en Minas, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile)

  • Mariachiara Zanetti

    (DIATI–Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy)

Abstract

Since the mid-nineteen century, when the first mining companies were established in the region of Antofagasta to extract saltpeter, mining managers and civil authorities have always had to face a number of problems to secure a water supply sufficient for the development of industrial activities and society. The unique features of the region, namely the scarcity of rainfall, the high concentration of arsenic in freshwaters and the increasing pressure of the mining sector, have made the supply of drinking water for local communities a challenge. In the 1950s, the town of Antofagasta experienced a serious drinking water crisis. The 300 km long aqueduct starting from the Toconce catchment, opened in 1958, temporarily ended this shortage of drinking water but created an even more dramatic problem. The concentration of arsenic in the water consumed by the population had grown by approx. ten times, reaching the value of 0.860 mg/L and seriously affecting people’s health. The water treatment plants (WTPs) which were installed starting from the 1970s in the region (namely the Old and New Salar del Carmen in Antofagasta and Cerro Topater in Calama, plus the two recent desalination plants in Antofagasta and Tocopilla), have ensured, since 2014, that the drinking water coverage in the urban areas was practically universal (>99.9%). However, the rural areas have continued to experience significant shortcomings regarding their capacity to ensure the quality and continuity of the water supply service in the long run. Presently, approx. 42% of the rural population of the region of Antofagasta does not have a formal supply of drinking water. The recent amendments to the Chilean Water Code (March 2022) and the interventions carried out in the framework of the Agua Potable Rural (APR) program were intended to reduce the socio-ecological inequalities due to the lack of drinking water in the semi-concentrated and isolated rural population.

Suggested Citation

  • Barbara Ruffino & Giuseppe Campo & Dafne Crutchik & Arturo Reyes & Mariachiara Zanetti, 2022. "Drinking Water Supply in the Region of Antofagasta (Chile): A Challenge between Past, Present and Future," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-21, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:21:p:14406-:d:962555
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Manuel Prieto, 2016. "Bringing water markets down to Chile’s Atacama Desert," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(2), pages 191-212, March.
    2. Douglas Aitken & Diego Rivera & Alex Godoy-Faúndez & Eduardo Holzapfel, 2016. "Water Scarcity and the Impact of the Mining and Agricultural Sectors in Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Ashwani Kumar Tiwari & Enrico Suozzi & Carlos Silva & Marina De Maio & Mariachiara Zanetti, 2021. "Role of Integrated Approaches in Water Resources Management: Antofagasta Region, Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-21, January.
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