AMAZON RIVER
CE387 TRANSBOUNDARY WATER
RESOURCES
Eusebio Ingol
February 14, 2008
Location
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Countries:
Peru
Brazil
Colombia
Ecuador
Venezuela
Guyana, surinama
French Guiana
Cover more less 44% South
America Continent
Altitude: 6500 m in the Andes
Main Tributaries
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Rio Maranon
Rio Ucayali
Rio Napo
Rio Japura
Rio Silimoes
Rio Purus
Rio Negro
Rio Madeira
Rio Tapajos
Rio Xingu
Main characteristics
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Amazon river is the greatest in
south America, second in the
world after Nile River.
In term of volume is the greatest.
6,200 km2 drainage area
6,500 km of length.
210,000 M3/sec
20% of the freshwater in the
world.
10 million population:
Iquitos, Manaus, indigenous
communities
Precipitation:
200 mm to 6000 mm per year
180,000 M3/sec –
220,000
Area Distribution
Drainage Area Distribution
16.0%
Peru
12.0% Bolivia
Ecuador
Colombia
Venezuela
Suriname
Guyane
Brazil
2.4%
62.9%
5.7%
0.7%
0.1%
0.2%
Land Cover
Percent Forest Cover:
Percent Grassland,
Savanna and Shrubland:
Percent Wetlands:
Percent Cropland:
Percent Irrigated Cropland:
Percent Dryland Area: 6.0
Percent Urban and
Industrial Area:
Percent Loss of Original
Forest Cover:
73.4
10.2
8.3
14.1
0.1
0.6
13.2
Population Density
Basin Area (sq. km.): 6,145,186
Average Population Density (people
per sq. km.): 4
Number of Large Cities (>100,000
people): 16
Water Supply per Person (1995)
(m3/person/year): 273,767
Precipitation
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/LBA/
Precipitation
Environmental Problems
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Deforestation causes erosion and soil loss, sedimentation in the rivers,
unbalance in the vital ecosystem.
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The expansion of urbanization; destruction of the fragile ecosystems.
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Two largest cities in river basin: Manaus and Belen (over 1.5 million).
– Iquitos (Peru), Leticia(Colombia), Lago Agrio(Ecuador)
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Water pollution and quality degradation
– Use of the agriculture pesticides, inadequate wastewater treament
from populated area
– Inadequate water use, and
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Change of the hydrologi cycle related with climate change.
Deforestation
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Main Causes:
Cattle racnches
Agriculture. Small scale
230,000 square km during
the past 13 years.
Now 7,700 square km per
year.
1,000 tons/km2/year of sediment flowing to the Atlantic Ocean
600-800 tons per year.
65 % Silimoes
35 % Madeira
Deforestation by country
Water Pollution
Problems wastewater treatment in cities such as Iquitos
(Peru), Manaus and Belen in Brazil, Leticia in Colombia.
Over 0.5 million of gold miners are located through the
Amazon River Basin
100 Tons of mercury are estimated to be dumped in the
Amazon Basin.
Gold-mining has caused mercury contamination of the
rivers which poses a serious health threat to local human
and animal populations
Studies carried out in Tapajos River basin shown high
levels of mercury in fishermen 14 -20 PPM on the Average
Treaty 1978
Treaty of cooperation among the countries of the
Amazon basin Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia,
Ecuador, Guyana, Surinam, and Venezuela.
07/03/1978
The Contracting countries agree to carry out joint
actions and efforts to promote the harmonious
development of their respective Amazonian
territories in such a way that these joint actions
produce equitable and mutually beneficial results;
as such as the environment preservation and the
conservation and rational utilization of the natural
resources .
This treaty was re launched in 1998.
Navigation Treaties
Port Manaus
Ocean ships can navigate more less 1600 km
Iquitos In Peru. Riverboats. Transport of different
products.
Treaty of commerce and river navigation between
Brazil and Colombia August 21, 1908.
Treaty of commerce and river navigation between
Brazil and Bolivia August 12, 1910
Treaty of delimitation, commerce and navigation
between Brazil y Peru. Treaty 1918 ratified in 1927.
Projects
Project GEF Amazon. OTCA/GEF/PNUMA/OEA.
Integrated and sustainable management of
transboundary water resources in the Amazon River
basin. United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP). Oct 2005.
The main objective of this project is strengthen the
institutional framework for planning and carry out
activities for the protection and integrated
management of the land and water resources in a
coordinated and coherent manner in the Amazon
River basin, considering the climatic change
experienced in the basin.
Projects
Some World Bank projects:
Integrated management of aquatic resources in the Amazon region project (AQUABIO)
The objective is to support to the multi-stakeholder, integrated management approach
to the conservation and sustainable use o f freshwater biodiversity in public policies and
programs in the Brazilian Amazon River Basin (2005)
Amazon region protected areas project (ARPA) . 2002
28 million will be protected over 10 years.
Pilot program to conserve the Brazilian rainforest (PPG7). 1992.
Pilot Program floodplain resources management project (PROVERZEA). 2000
Amazon region protected areas project (ARPA)
2002
2006
Pilot program to conserve the Brazilian
rainforest
Fishing and floodplain
Over 1700 species of freshwater
More less 50 species are marked human for
consumption.
Tambaqui, Jaraqui, Tucunure, species of catfish:
Pirapitinga and Piraruca.
Area flood plain: 307,300 square Kilometers (4.5
% total area)
Conflict of human groups: riberihnos.
After, 1946, the Brazilian Federal government
established: Floodplain as federal land.
Dams and hydropower
90 % of the electricity produced in Brazil is from
hydropower.
Tucurui Dam. Hydropower generation, no
irrigation.
8,000 MW. The largest dams built in a tropical
rainforest with 2,875 km2. It has displaced 40,000
people, destroyed the habit fish and plants.
Belo Monte Dam built on Xingu River
The Balbina dam on the Uatumã River in Amazonas
state, and Samuel Dam on the Jamari River