Contamination of Water Supply Sources by Heavy Metals: The Price of Development in Bolivia, a Latin American Reality
Paola Andrea Alvizuri-Tintaya,
Esteban Manuel Villena-Martínez,
Nithya Avendaño-Acosta,
Vanesa Gladys Lo-Iacono-Ferreira,
Juan Ignacio Torregrosa-López,
Jaime Lora-García
Affiliations
Paola Andrea Alvizuri-Tintaya
Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana “San Pablo”, La Paz, Bolivia
Esteban Manuel Villena-Martínez
Project Management, Innovation and Sustainability Research Center (PRINS), Universitat Politècnica de València, Alcoy Campus, Plaza Ferrándiz y Carbonell, s/n, 03690 Alcoy, Spain
Nithya Avendaño-Acosta
Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana “San Pablo”, La Paz, Bolivia
Vanesa Gladys Lo-Iacono-Ferreira
Project Management, Innovation and Sustainability Research Center (PRINS), Universitat Politècnica de València, Alcoy Campus, Plaza Ferrándiz y Carbonell, s/n, 03690 Alcoy, Spain
Juan Ignacio Torregrosa-López
Research Institute for Industrial, Radiophysical and Environmental Safety (ISIRYM), Universitat Politècni-ca de València, Plaza Ferrándiz y Carbonell, s/n, 03690 Alcoy, Spain
Jaime Lora-García
Research Institute for Industrial, Radiophysical and Environmental Safety (ISIRYM), Universitat Politècni-ca de València, Plaza Ferrándiz y Carbonell, s/n, 03690 Alcoy, Spain
Like other Latin American countries, Bolivia is in the race towards development, which has caused many economic activities to be carried out without due consideration for the care of the environment. At this point, it is essential to carry out environmental inventories to preserve the quality of ecosystems and natural resources, such as water. As water is vital, it needs to be adequately monitored and managed to prevent its degradation. This research presents the results of monitoring the main sources of water supply in two continuously growing departments of Bolivia, La Paz, and Tarija. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of the water to which the population has access, with particular attention to heavy metals with concentrations that exceed the permitted limits. The metals found were arsenic, chromium, mercury, manganese, iron, zinc, and tin in the Milluni area, and lead, iron, and manganese in the Guadalquivir area. Exposing the presence of metals in water sources implies immediate attention by decision-makers to take action to reduce the risk to public health. In addition, this study exposes a Bolivian reality that could encourage other countries in similar contexts to conduct similar studies on their water sources.
