Cyanobacteria outbreaks in Lake Ypacaraí have underscored Paraguay’s growing water-quality problems. (Photo courtesy of Mades)
For environmental advocates, the good news is that Paraguay will soon be subject to sweeping water-resources legislation. The not-so-good news is that the law won congressional approval in 2007 and went unimplemented for the past 15 years, a lapse that allowed many of the country’s water-management problems to grow significantly worse. Given its long period in limbo, some wondered whether the Water Resources Law would ever be implemented. But amid more than three years of drought and high-profile water problems, the government came under increasing social and political pressure to act. On May 3, Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez responded, signing a decree initiating the implementation process. The move surprised stakeholders ranging from farmers and business executives to conservationists and academics. Experts agree that the long-dormant legislation does not address all current-day water-resource issues facing Paraguay. But they believe that its implementation... [Log in to read more]
