In Argentina, more than 17 million people —one out of every three inhabitants— consume water with arsenic levels above those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This was revealed by the latest study from the Environmental Program of the National University of Rosario (2024), which warns of a crisis of access to safe water that remains hidden but widespread.
The issue affects at least 12 provinces, including Buenos Aires, La Pampa, and Catamarca, and has a mixed origin:
- Natural processes: erosion of rocks in aquifers
- Human activities: mining, intensive use of agrochemicals
Arsenic: persistent risk, cumulative impact
Arsenic is a natural and invisible contaminant, without smell or taste, that accumulates slowly in underground aquifers. WHO establishes a safe limit of 0.01 mg/l, but in many localities, this threshold is significantly exceeded.
“The water may look clean, but it isn’t. And the consequences are visible, irreversible, and devastating if no action is taken,” warn specialists.
Tools to make the emergency visible
To understand the scope of the problem, the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (ITBA) developed the Arsenic in Water Interactive Map, a platform that allows:
- Identify critical areas using red, yellow, and green indicators
- Promote informed decisions and focused public policies
- Raise citizen awareness about the quality of the consumed water
Equity in water and decentralization as a response
Faced with this reality, experts propose moving towards a more decentralized, equitable, and sustainable water management:
- Implementing domestic and school filters capable of removing heavy metals
- Training local officials and technicians on detection and remediation
- Updating regulatory frameworks with more stringent standards
- Integrating accessible technologies without replacing long-term structural infrastructure
These interim solutions do not substitute state responsibility, but can reduce short-term exposure and improve the health of millions of people from the point of consumption.
Water as an urgent common good
“Talking about safe water is no longer a future promise but a violated right in the present,” conclude the study’s authors.
The global water crisis and environmental deterioration demand a redefinition of the water paradigm: water must be recognized as a collective good, not as an infinite resource, and protected through sustainable individual decisions and coordinated public policies.
