Many Latin American cities are environmentally untenable if they persist handling their current natural resources policies, warned doctor Danilo Anton, a specialist in Geography and advisor on nature and water issues.

Author of ‘’Thirsty cities’’ published in Canada and translated to several languages, Anton explained that large cities such as Mexico, Lima, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Sao Paulo and Guatemala have common problems linked to the lack of water supply.

The Uruguayan doctor who developed his field work in Toluca, said that Mexico City must import the 40% of the water consumption for its population because its water underground aquifer is insufficient to supply the other 60% of people’s needs even when it’s one of the largest in Latin America.

As a hydraulic expert, he said that another big problem to confront for large Latin American cities would be to count with the vital liquid resources and to find out that the water in them is contaminated.

Anton commented that cities as Lima has insufficient water supply meanwhile another as Buenos Aires has abundance of liquid but contaminated and unable for human use or as well as Sao Paulo or Mexico City with dramatic water shortages for their population requests.

Water shortage brings social injustice mainly to the poor people who usually must pay more than double of its real value, he said.

‘‘This brings more injustice to the disadvantaged population who has to pay to be supplied of water by liquid carriers in regular operations that become more expensive than to make pipe work in contrast to the residential areas where never lack the service’’, Anton said.

One practical solution that the expert gives to secure the water supply is to build dams or water reservoirs, but as they need adequate construction sites he regrets that Mexico City lacks of places to build them around.

‘‘I believe we are in a water world crisis and it’s not for insufficient knowledge of the problem but because we need to spread consciousness about it and that is the difficult part’’, he added.

‘’Consciousness of water crisis is a step forward to the knowledge of it and implies ethical, spiritual and religious issues’’, Anton said.

Concerning the Latin American Water Court, Anton thought that these kind of activities always help to raise conscience on the water crisis although he said that there is a harder work to do out of an international event or an ethical trial.

06/LG/GT