Ensuring long-term water security is essential in the pathway towards sustainable development in Argentina. Floods cause 60 percent of all critical events in the country and are responsible for 95 percent of economic losses. Severe droughts, in a country where the agricultural sector accounts for 6.4 percent of GDP as compared to a global average of 3.6 percent, have a strong impact on the economy. Argentina is also home to some of the most polluted basins worldwide, and climate change is anticipated to further shift water availability, uses, and demand.
This report assesses water governance in Argentina. It identifies several challenges to effective, efficient, and inclusive water policies as well as provides a set of policy recommendations to enhance water governance as a means to address relevant societal challenges, both within the scope of water management and beyond. It is the result of a policy dialogue with more than 200 stakeholders. Proposed ways forward include strengthening the coordination between national and provincial water policies, setting up a multi-level water planning and investment framework, improving basin management practices, and enhancing economic regulation for water services.