Gestión del agua de mina: Estudio de casos de Mongolia y Chile

This case study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines water management frameworks in Mongolia and the Antofagasta region of Chile. It emphasizes the necessity of basin-level governance to balance the high water demands of the mining sector with the needs of other users and the environment, particularly in arid regions facing climate change.

• Effective mine water governance requires a holistic, basin-scale approach that integrates hydrology, hydrogeology, ecosystems, and cultural values to balance industrial needs with those of vulnerable users and minimize conflict.
• Governments are encouraged to adopt risk-based and adaptive management strategies, incorporating climate change scenarios and sensitivity analyses to address biophysical and socioeconomic risks.
• Mongolia's water management is structured through an Integrated Water Management Plan (IWMP) published in 2013, which divides the territory into three management zones based on whether they are dominated by surface water, a mix of both, or groundwater.
• In Mongolia's Gobi desert, groundwater is a critical but scarce resource, providing approximately 82% of the country's used water despite making up only 1.9% of total water volume; mining demand is projected to exceed supply by 2021.
• The Antofagasta region in Chile manages water across 10 basins covering 127,221 km2, utilizing a strategic plan updated in 2016 that aligns regional goals with the national water strategy.
• A significant governance challenge in Chile is that water was historically assigned as rights without expiration dates rather than as time-limited licenses.
• In the Loa River basin of Antofagasta, mining accounts for 60% of the water demand, necessitating complex cost-benefit analyses to balance industrial use with environmental flows and indigenous rights.

APA

Hill, J., & Gillman, M. (2021). Gestión del agua de mina: Estudio de casos de Mongolia y Chile. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-04/igf-case-study-mine-water-management-chile-mongolia-es.pdf

Chicago

Hill, Jenifer, and Matthew Gillman. Gestión del agua de mina: Estudio de casos de Mongolia y Chile. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-04/igf-case-study-mine-water-management-chile-mongolia-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hill |first1=Jenifer |last2=Gillman |first2=Matthew |title=Gestión del agua de mina: Estudio de casos de Mongolia y Chile |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-04/igf-case-study-mine-water-management-chile-mongolia-es.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hill2021gestin, author = {Hill, Jenifer and Gillman, Matthew}, title = {{Gestión del agua de mina: Estudio de casos de Mongolia y Chile}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-04/igf-case-study-mine-water-management-chile-mongolia-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }