Water management will raise wider concerns in Uruguay

Significance

The water crisis raises questions about prevailing attitudes to water as a resource at a time of increasing climate variability, and highlights tensions between human and industrial consumption, a theme of increasing importance throughout Latin America.

Impacts

• There will be increased pressure on public finances as government rushes to spend on short-term solutions to water shortages.
• The economy will slow as drought continues to affect agriculture.
• There may be increasing pressure on health services due to poor quality drinking water for those who cannot afford bottled water.
• The risk of social unrest in water-related protests will increase.