Belize
Chelsea Smith and Nimisha Krishna
NREM 211 - Water Resources
Introduction
Water Availability and Use
Waterborne Diseases
This Central American country borders
Guatemala, Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.
Belize is located at 17.15 N, 88.45 W.
Belizeans have plenty of surface and ground
water resources. Many areas in the north
and south have porous sediments that allow
groundwater to permeate throughout the
land. Sometimes groundwater can be
contaminated with high concentrations of
Worldatlas, 2012
chloride, especially in areas along the coast.
Water supplies suffer mostly in the dry season when freshwater can
not recharge the groundwater supply (FAO, 2012).
Today the majority of the Parliamentary Democracy
government is occupied by the United Democratic Party. They are
focusing on improving foreign debt, unemployment, and crime
rates, as well as working to protect the environment. The
government is also trying to crack down on the South American
drug trade and the spread of HIV/AIDS (Bureau of Western
Hemisphere Affairs, 2011).
Belize’s main exports are cane sugar, citrus, bananas, and
seafood. Hurricanes pose a problem for the agriculture industry at
times, and the shrimp industry has been declining since 2005.
Tourism is shown to be one of the most profitable businesses in
the country, due to the climate, pleasant fishing, boating
opportunities, and jungle wildlife (Bureau of Western Hemisphere
Affairs, 2011). The 2012 report of economic freedom ranked
Belize at 61.9, where 100 would be absolute economic freedom.
Corruption is common, but it is relatively normal for this region.
Strict regulations discourage foreign exchange and entrepreneurial
activities, making private sector businesses difficult to obtain (The
Heritage Foundation, 2012).
The main use of water in Belize is for industrial processes,
whereas Mexico and Guatemala use the majority of their water for
agriculture. 70% of water used in the urban areas of Belize is
surface water. Only about 30% of water withdrawal is fully
purified, which occurs in urban Water and Sewerage Authority
(WASA) systems (FAO, 2012).
There is a high risk of the following three waterborne diseases:
-Bacterial diarrhea: a bacterial disease that causes watery or
loose stool, which can lead to dehydration.
-Hepatitis A: a viral disease that causes fever, jaundice, and
diarrhea. Symptoms can last for 6-9 months.
-Typhoid fever: a bacterial disease causing sustained high
fevers. Mortality rates of untreated victims have reached 20%.
Belizeans also run a risk of contracting leptospirosis, a bacterial
disease that passes to humans through contact with water
contaminated by animal urine. Victims can have symptoms
including fever, headache, jaundice, vomiting, and diarrhea (CIA,
2009).
These waterborne diseases contribute to the death rate of 5.87 for
every 1,000 people in Belize. The infant mortality rate is 21.95 for
every 1,000 live births in the country (Index Mundi, 2011).
Climate and Weather
The overall climate in Belize is subtropical, with an average
humidity level of 83%. However, this humidity is barely noticeable
due to coastal winds from the Atlantic Ocean. (Belizenet.com
2012)
In terms of seasons, there isn’t a dramatic fluctuation in
temperature as the months change. November to January tend to be
the cooler months, and January to May are the dry months. The
main land temperatures vary from 50°F to 95°F. The southern
mountainous region has an average temperature of 72°F , but this
can also get much lower. Due to the rain-shadow effect, the
mountainous region also receives more rain that the main land.
(Belizenet.com 2012)
Water Pollution from Solid Waste
Water Access and Sanitation
Over the last 40 years, there has been an increase in access to
drinking water for all three countries. The biggest change was in
the rural areas, with at least 50% of each population gaining access
to drinking water over these decades (Pacific Institute, 2009).
One of the biggest problems that Belize faces is the pollution of
fresh water from solid waste. The country produces a total of
200,000 tons of solid waste each year, which is relatively low for
this region. This waste is the result of overflowing landfills and
lack of sanitation facilities in rural areas. Landfills are not
separated properly from the domestic soil, which causes leaching
of pollutants into groundwater. Most of the rural population uses
pit latrines and septic systems, which can seep into the lake, ponds,
and rivers. Many people use these rivers and wells to obtain clean
water (Young, 2008).
Solid waste pollution only gets worse as tourism increase in the
country. Over 800,000 tourists visited Belize annually in 2004,
and this number is growing. Wastewater facilities are only
available in three cities (Belize City, Belmopan, and San
Pedro), which means a large portion of Belize can not send their
sewage to a treatment plant. Since there is no waste disposal
facility in these tourism areas, this mass amount of sewage can
easily leech into the water supply (Young, 2008).
Sewage pollution not only affects fresh water supplies located
inland, but it also affects the aquaculture located along the coast.
Pollution of potable water threatens the health of those who use it,
degrades the mangrove areas, and contaminates the barrier reef.
Some efforts have been made to improve the situation, such as the
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) which has
helped protect the fresh water supply in order to reduce the
waterborne diseases that can be spread through these sources
(Katz, 1989).
As seen in the graph above, Belize has decreased the amount of
areas with open defecation (relieving of bowels in an open area
instead of in a sanitary facility). Developing proper landfills and
enforcing regulations on disposal of solid wastes would help also
the situation (Young, 2008). The combined effort of the rural
population, wastewater management, and Belizean government
could alleviate this pollution problem.
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Flooding
Flooding is an issue that Belize
has been struggling with
throughout history. The
Caribbean storms and
hurricanes that sweep over
Belize annually do not always
lead to flooding, but have done
so many times. When the nation An organization known as
becomes flooded, clean water
NEMO (Belize National
can be scarce. This is because
Emergency Management
the flood usually causes the
Organization) uses various
sewage system to not function methods to predict and prepare
properly and pollute the ground for adverse weather and flood
water supply. The flood water
threats. They use GIS and
brings up sewage matter and not various types of weather
only pollutes the land, but also instruments to predict weather
their water supplies. Floods can intensity and places most
also bring in other sources of
susceptible to flooding. Based on
pollutants to ground and surface this information they also prepare
water, including domestic and guidelines that citizens should
industrial waste, chemicals from follow before, during, and after a
industry, and much more
flood/storm.
(CIA.gov, 2012)
As the map to the left shows,
much of Belize is in danger of
floods annually. In fact, of the
263 populated cities in Belize,
163 (62%) of them are at flood
risk during the rainy season.
These cities are located within 39
river basins and 18 major
watersheds (rimd.org, 2009).
Conclusion
As a developing nation, Belize is doing very well in the areas of
sanitation and access to clean water. The majority of the nation has
access to clean water and either improved or unimproved sanitation
services. Despite this progress there obvious issues that hinder
Belize from reaching the sanitation and clean water access level
that a developed nation would have. Though much of the nation
has the benefit of clean water, keeping it clean is still a struggle.
Solid waste from landfills and sanitation services seep into the
ground, polluting groundwater sources. This pollution is worsened
by the rise in tourism and by adverse weather conditions.
International aid is provided to alleviate the pressure of preserving
groundwater supplies. The addition of more wastewater
treatment centers in all areas of Belize would benefit the nation.
Adverse weather conditions, such as hurricanes, bring threats of
flooding, which the country has always struggled with due to its
location. Caribbean hurricanes sweep the nation every year and
citizens must prepare themselves for the worst, a flood. Flood
waters sweep across the land bringing everything with it including
trash, human waste, industrial waste, and much more. This makes
flood water a pollutant to both ground and surface water. Belize’s
NEMO makes continuous efforts to educate its citizens on flood
management, and with the aid of GIS and weather systems it
strives to protect its water sources