Water, essential for human existence, agriculture, and industry, has always been a natural resource of an incalculable value. In the Guatemalan context, although there are indeed legal provisions for the protection and management of water, we face significant challenges in their implementation and adaptation.
First, we observe a lack of consistent and consistent application of existing laws and regulations, leading to gaps in the protection and proper use of the resource. Second, the current structure of our water regulations appears not to have been designed considering the geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic realities that characterize Guatemala, resulting in insufficiencies when addressing current water-related problems.
It is a challenge that concerns us all since water, beyond being a resource, is a fundamental human right.
The current situation: An insufficient legal framework
In Guatemala, although there are laws that seek to regulate and protect water resources, we find a regulatory framework that has not evolved at the pace that current circumstances demand. These laws, some enacted decades ago, do not adequately reflect or address the complexities of today’s Guatemala. A constantly growing population has vastly increased the demand for water for human, agricultural, and industrial consumption. To this, we must add the implications of climate change, which manifests itself in extreme phenomena such as prolonged droughts or floods, altering the availability and quality of the resource. Read more
