Water Shortages in Latin America: How Can Behavioral Science Help?
Today in 2024, one of Latin America's largest cities, Bogota, is facing significant challenges due to prolonged droughts exacerbated by El Niño. As reservoir levels plummet, local governments have implemented water rationing measures to manage the crisis. However, these rationing measures have remained unsuccessful after one month of implementation—in fact, water usage increased during the first week.1 But why? What solution can finally help solve this crisis?
In this article, we will explore how behavioral science can help Latin American cities mitigate their water shortages—and how, surprisingly, a method my hometown Bogota used back in the ‘90s can shed some light on this current issue. We’ll also explore some modern behavioral science strategies that can be used in parallel.
A brief parenthesis
I don’t want to overlook the fact that there are several infrastructure and policy changes necessary to keep water supplies steady in the long-term. For instance, in Mexico City, soda companies overuse water in factories close to the city, impeding homes from using this water instead.2 Meanwhile, in Bogota, there are plans to develop wetlands which would have an impact on the potential access to underground water as they can completely dry up.3
To tackle this issue, local and national governments in these countries must develop some serious policies to preserve this resource for future generations. This focus should be on industrial and agricultural water usage at a national level, since individual consumption only drives between 15% and 20% of total water consumption in Colombia.4
However, individual use still matters, especially in large municipalities. For instance, domestic water consumption drives 80% of the usage of Bogota’s two reservoirs: Chingaza and San Rafael.5 As such, behavioral science offers a powerful toolkit for promoting sustainable water consumption among citizens—and is still being underutilized in a city that has been through this issue before. Let's find out how Bogota originally tackled its water shortage in the ‘90s.
References
- Redacción Bogotá. (2024, April 14). El consumo de agua subió en el tercer día de racionamiento en Bogotá de Agua Subió en el Tercer Día de racionamiento en Bogotá. elespectador.com. https://www.elespectador.com/bogota/el-consumo-de-agua-subio-levemente-en-el-tercer-dia-de-racionamiento-en-bogota/
- Perlmutter, L. (2022, July 28). “It’s plunder”: Mexico desperate for water while drinks companies use billions of litres. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jul/28/water-is-the-real-thing-but-millions-of-mexicans-are-struggling-without-it
- Mejía, D. (2016, March 21). Humedales: To build or protect?. The Bogotá Post. https://thebogotapost.com/humedales-to-build-or-protect/10061/
- Demanda Agua. IDEAM. (n.d.). http://www.ideam.gov.co/web/siac/demandaagua#:~:text=A%20nivel%20de%20sectores%2C%20el,con%20el%2017%2C9%25.
- Caicedo, E. (2024, April 17). ¿Quién consume más agua en Bogotá, La Industria o los hogares? esto dicen las cifras. El Tiempo. https://www.eltiempo.com/vida/medio-ambiente/quien-consume-mas-agua-en-bogota-la-industria-o-los-hogares-esto-dicen-las-cifras-3334798#:~:text=En%20el%20caso%20del%20consumo,se%20va%20a%20la%20industria.
- Acosta, O. (2009). Adaptive urban water demand for an uncertain world: A case study: Citizen’s cooperation during the supply crisis of Bogotá in 1997.
- Guillot, J. (2014). Achieving long-term citywide cooperation in water consumption reduction: The story of Bogotá’s 1997 water supply crisis. Background note prepared for the World Development Report 2015.
- En pleno fenómeno de El Niño aumenta el consumo de agua en Bogotá. Detalle. (2024, March 4). https://www.acueducto.com.co/wps/portal/EAB2/Home/general/sala-de-prensa/boletines/detalle/aumento+consumo+agua+bogota#:~:text=En%20actividades%20como%20ducharse%2C%20lavarse,litros%20de%20agua%20al%20mes.
About the Author
Juan Roa Duarte
Juan Roa is a Consultant at TDL. He has a background in philosophy and holds a Master’s in Public Policy from McGill University. Juan is passionate about education, public innovation, and peacebuilding. Specifically, he wants to use behavioural science and policy-making to tackle inequality and improve people’s lives worldwide. Before joining TDL, Juan was a Policy Advisor on Behavioural Change at Bogota’s Department of Transportation and a Senior Design Researcher at Corpovisionarios, a Colombian think-tank that pioneered applying a social norms approach to social change.
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