Water quality and sustainable development

Abstract

Water quality is an essential ecological value for health and economic growth. In Peru, due to its mineralogical nature by the presence of the Andean Mountain System and its economy dependent on the extraction of minerals, conditions exist for the dispersion of chemical contaminants, especially metals, which can reach the drinking water, causing a generalized exposure of the population to a chronic risk that is already becoming unmanageable. Pollution of watersheds exposes people to cadmium in the northern part of the country, to lead in the central regions, and to arsenic in the south. Physical-chemical treatment is becoming increasingly expensive for drinking water companies. In this context, the socio-environmental conflicts have evidence through the presence of heavy metals in the blood that is enough to generate adverse climates for the economy and delay in investments, resulting in a vicious circle that is difficult to resolve. The analysis of the two causes: mineralogical nature and mining extraction, must be deepened to achieve an adequate solution that prioritizes people’s health, but also promotes investments for economic growth. The objective of this review is to motivate Health Authorities to address the problem and to develop risk communication strategies so that the problem can be addressed in a cost-effective manner through health education, while at the same time continuing to make progress in the development of more eco-efficient mining technologies.