accounts for 50 per cent of industrial demands, 70 per cent of domestic supply in cities and practically all domestic supply in rural areas (Campuzano et al. 2014). These trends represent a threat to groundwater resources if they are not managed properly. Intense pressure due to increasing demands is leading to over-pumping of the reserves, depleting this sensitive source faster than it can recharge.
Glaciers
More than 99 per cent of the world’s tropical glaciers are located in the Andes Mountains in South America, of
which 71 per cent are located in Peru, concentrated on the Cordillera Blanca, and 20 per cent in Bolivia (UNEP 2013b; Kaser 1999; Rabatel et al. 2013; Bury et al. 2011; IRD et al. 2007). Recent studies from the region have found glaciers to be melting at an accelerated rate (Villacis et al. 2010; Chevallier et al. 2011; Rabatel et al. 2013). In the Andes this melting is directly related to climate change. This situation is combined with a growing and dense population and urban centres such as Lima, La Paz and Quito in areas that depend on these glaciers as water sources. Scientists are monitoring the retreat of glaciers (More…14).
Figure 2.2.7: Retreat of the Yanamarey glacier in central Peru between 1987 (left) and 2012 (right).
