Water Harvesting and Managed Aquifer Recharge to Combat Water Scarcity in a Country of Water Abundance

In Guatemala, rainfall ranges between 700 and 5,000 mm per year depending on the region, with two seasons marked as dry and rainy. It is a country whose meteorological data show that there is a good quantity of water to satisfy the demands of its different uses and sectors, but a weak regulatory framework and inefficient management cause many regions to face water scarcityWater scarcity amid this abundance. The situation is more visible in the metropolitan region where the availability of water is 191 m3/person/year, well below the 1.700 m3/person/year that has been established as a reference for avoiding water stressWater stress. Currently, there is no specific law that regulates the use and exploitation of water in the country. Despite the multiple law proposals during the last 30 years by different sectors, none have been approved by the country’s Congress. This lack of legal framework coupled with the high contamination of surface water sources due to deficient sanitation, makes the supply from private wells the primary alternative option at the municipal level and for companies and residential areas that can afford it, since they are allowed to drill their own well without considering the proximity to each other or the overexploitation of the underground water resources. Since 2018, FUNCAGUA has been working on monitoring piezometric levels in the metropolitan region of Guatemala, generating data that has made it possible to observe the decrease in groundwater levels over time. In this context, different techniques for the supply of water and/or mitigation of the extraction of underground water resources have emerged, such as rainwater harvestingRainwater harvesting applied in schools and in municipal markets, a new architectural vision for the use of water from rain in private homes, a pilot project for the managed aquifer rechargeManaged aquifer recharge through dry wells that seek to generate technical guidelines for this type of intervention at the local level; incorporating the learning of empirical experiences that were not documented in the country and the impulse that begins to acquire more technical and engineering solutions, provided by private companies that venture into providing advice and services for the management of rainwater and urban runoff in different projects in the country. These experiences have shown that: (a) rainwater harvestingRainwater harvesting systems are a functional alternative in both rural and urban areas, whose implementation can be accelerated thanks to public–private partnerships, given that the cost of materials can be high; (b) the use of shallow wells to capture rainwater following certain constructive recommendations should be socialized and taught at the municipal level, adding the understanding of how rainwater runoff can reach the aquiferAquifers for recharge purposes and allowing to reduce contamination risks. In addition, better technical guidelines for recharge monitoring and estimation will transform current empirical practice into a truly managed aquifer rechargeManaged aquifer recharge approach; and finally, (c) technical options for stormwater management combined with groundwater recharge are available in Guatemala and begin to attract attention for different developments. Soon, these kinds of projects will gain visibility and be more valued as they address critical water scarcityWater scarcity and climate changeClimate change issues by enhancing water supply from the harvesting of rainwater as well as incorporating adapted water recharge approaches.