Water situation today
South America is well supplied with water resources. As much as 28% of the world's freshwater resources are found in South America where only 6% of the world population resides. However, the resources are widely distributed with dry areas covering as much of 23% of the continent and suffering from water scarcity. The region has important transboundary rivers such as the Amazon, the Orinoco and the Rio de la Plata, but also transboundary groundwater bodies as the Guarani aquifer. Floods are a common and increasing problem in much of the region leading to loss of human life and economic resources. Most institutions that are dealing with flood management have not yet addressed the multidisciplinary character of mitigation and the need to integrate local communities in flood control and response.

The use of groundwater is significant in some regions, especially in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. However, the knowledge about its relation to surface water, its quantity, its management, its economic and social value, is quite limited.

Water pollution in the periphery of urban areas is another concern. This situation is exacerbated as the numbers of landless or displaced people moving into the periphery of the main cities is increasing.