Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin

This research paper examines water governance in Chile's Maipo River basin, analyzing the intersection of neoliberal water laws, increasing water scarcity due to climate variability, and social mobilization. The author focuses on the impact of river sectioning laws, the Alto Maipo hydropower conflict, and the contested meanings of water scarcity to advocate for social and environmental justice in policy debates.

• Water governance in the Maipo River basin is currently shaped by the interaction of increasing water demands, climatic variability, and public discontent with neoliberal water policy. The basin is critical as it supports a population of over 5 million in Santiago, agricultural production in the Santiago valley, and hydroelectric generation.
• The research identifies two specific areas of conflict and regulation: the law of river sectioning and its influence on water management practices, and the Alto Maipo hydropower conflict in the upper basin, where social movements are attempting to redirect water governance.
• The document argues that the meaning of water scarcity is a subject of struggle, particularly as drought and climate change receive more attention, and calls for the integration of social and environmental justice into Chilean water governance policy to resolve conflicts over uneven resource access and decision-making.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/law-scarcity-and-social-movements-water-governance-in-chiles-maipo-river-basin-masters-thesis/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/law-scarcity-and-social-movements-water-governance-in-chiles-maipo-river-basin-masters-thesis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin |date=14 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/law-scarcity-and-social-movements-water-governance-in-chiles-maipo-river-basin-masters-thesis/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025law, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/law-scarcity-and-social-movements-water-governance-in-chiles-maipo-river-basin-masters-thesis/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }