Water Challenges and Solutions for Brazil and South America

Although the earth is considered to be well served in terms of bodies of water, freshwater constitutes only 3 % of the total. However, freshwater is unevenly and temporally distributed across the planet or is located in places that are difficult to access. South America is relatively well-endowed with freshwater, although millions of people suffer from restrictions on potable water and proper sanitation systems because of long periods of drought as well as a lack of adequate infrastructure and proper governance. In analyzing the human use of water, it is estimated that 60-80 % is used in agricultural irrigation in developing countries such as those of South America. With regards to the energy matrix, South America has one of the greenest energy mix if the large contributions of hydropower, wind power and biofuels are taken into account. Therefore, the water demand required and produced for power generation by using different sources is discussed throughout this chapter, with a focus on the water-energy nexus in South America.