Water resources management in Nicaragua
The legal framework has historically been fundamentally flawed by a lack of specific water laws and regulations with numerous agencies sharing management duties.
In rural areas, where 72% of people lack such access, citizens must often procure their water from shallow wells, rivers, streams, and lakes that are polluted with residential sewage, pesticides, and industrial toxins.
Lack of technical capacity and inconsistent leadership of water resource management institutions is a significant and ongoing challenge.
Decades of land abuse and environmental neglect exacerbated the devastation of Hurricane Mitch (1998), where deforestation played a major role.
This point is especially poignant since between 300 and 400 m3/s of the existing river flow is already used to meet the requirements for potable water and irrigation of suitable farmland in the Pacific Region of Nicaragua.
[4] Dating back two hundred years, there have been disputes over the management and usage of the San Juan River forming a border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
This was the case when the Panama Canal site was chosen rather than the San Juan River as the ultimate ship navigation route across the Americas.
"[5] Costa Rica responded, issuing a statement that said a ruling by an international court "forcefully denies Nicaragua's wish to dredge a new route on the San Juan River."
[3] Groundwater is abundant and the capital city of Managua is completely supplied by subterranean resources including 'lagoons' or water that has infiltrated through Volcano craters.
The Atlantic and Caribbean sloping lowlands receive between 100 and 255 inches of rainfall per year making stormwater runoff and flooding a considerable challenge.
By contrast, the Pacific slope on the western side of the country has water basins covering only 4,000 km2, rivers less than 20 km in length and with lower flows.
On the Pacific side, permeable volcanic soil favors water infiltration and the formation of aquifers or "lagoons" with great output potential.
Much of the research and data on water quality in Nicaragua is focused on the health and condition of Lake Colicbolca and the San Juan River.
Sedimentation, damaging navigation, and untreated wastewater have transformed Lake Colibolca and the San Juan River into highly contaminated waterways and pose a significant challenge to those making efforts to reverse the pollution.
[4] The waterbodies have therefore become depositaries of hydrocarbon residue, agricultural chemicals, basic grains, and excrement from farm and domesticated animals that are transported on these bodies of water.
[7] The private sector began irrigating in 1950 in the lowland plains of the Pacific region of Nicaragua where banana and sugar cane plantations are prevalent.
Subsidies were in place to cover the full cost of construction, purchasing of equipment, and operation and maintenance of irrigation systems.
[7] Drainage problems are isolated in an area north of the Pacific region where issues of salinity of the soil exist; however, it is not believed there is a great risk to the land under irrigation here.
The sediment and solid waste conveyed through the drainage system exposes the lower areas to floods in the rainy season.
The public company Hidrogesa owns and operates the two existing plants Centroamérica and Santa Bárbara both of which generate 50 MW.
Nicaragua is a net importer of petroleum and its overdependence on oil products for the generation of electricity has created a long-standing energy crisis.
[10] In March 2008 the government of Iran approved a US$230 million credit for the construction of a 70MW hydropower plant by the name of Bodoke on the Tuma River in the northern department of Jinotega.
[11] The existing legal framework is inadequate and a lack of consistent institutional capacity does not favor or precipitate the ongoing development of water resources.
The Civil Code recognizes water resources as a public good and this is subject to the rules that also govern the private ownership of land.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that user fees in urban centers of Nicaragua were increased annually by ENACAL between 1998 and 2001.
[24] The wetlands of Nicaragua protect coastal communities from flooding and provide bountiful supplies of fish and beautiful freshwater.
Ramsar wetland sites:[25] It has been proved that climate change will affect Nicaragua sooner rather than later due to its geographic location in the traditional path of strong Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes.
Planning efforts in Nicaragua are directed towards adapting to wider climate variability including stronger storms in some years and more severe droughts in others, and higher temperatures that will provoke increased evaporation.
This, coupled with a decade-long civil war that destroyed basic infrastructure, resulted in the people living there having little access to safe water.
