Modes of access to water for domestic use in rural Chile: a typological proposal

Abstract

A typology is proposed regarding the modes of access to water for the rural population in Chile as well as four explanatory dimensions of its heterogeneity. The typology emerges from a systematic review of the literature and an analysis of quantitative data based on rural water organizations' databases. The modes of access are defined by the following five criteria: their socio-technical system, their type of management, their level of spatial action, the source of their financing, and the type of technical assistance they received. The findings dispute the systemic vision of access to water in rural areas and invite us to consider the structural heterogeneity in regulations and public policies to guarantee the human right to water. HIGHLIGHTS There are different modes of access to water in rural Chile.; Access to water is not constituted by a single, functional, and homogeneous system.; Access to rural water via a collective network is not the most common mode of access.; The legal framework, inequalities, urbanization, and climate change contribute to the heterogeneity.; The public policies should integrate this diversity and consider the elements that create it.;

Keywords

• chile
• climate change
• drinking water
• rural water supply
• water law
• water security