- 77 million people are scarce of drinkable water: The region has seen great advances in the last decade. The percent of people in Latin America and the Caribbean equipped with drinkable water has increased by 33 percent to 85 percent from 1960 to 2000, which still leaves 77 million people without said right: 51million of which are in rural areas and 26million in urban areas.
- Lack of sanitary treatment for residual water: less what 14 percent of residual water is treated in sanitation plants, increasing the risk of ecological damage in the long term because these waters flow into river currents, lakes, underwater aquifers and oceans.
- High inequality on water pricing: The statistics from the year 2000 show that those of low economic income pay 1.5 to 2.8 more times for water than families with a higher living standard, a great percentage considering the income disparity. The quality of water which is received was also lower, increasing the risk of disease especially diarrhea in infants.
- Contamination in rivers and lakes: Many of the main lakes and rivers from North America to South America are found to be under great stress and demand thanks to the increase of population and the contamination from industrial and agricultural activities, among the being the lakes from United States and the lakes from Chapala in Mexico.
- Hurricanes and the effects of El Nino: in recent decades, the increase of population in coastal areas which are on hurricane routes has been enormous, increasing the risk of mortality and material loss. In 1998, hurricane Mitch caused the death of 9,000 in Central America, the loss of 6 billion dollars in damages and temporary stress for 75 percent of the Honduran population. One politician commented that this storm destroyed 75 years of economic progress. The periodical effects of change in current from the Pacific Ocean in front of the coast of South America, known as El Nino, have provoked droughts and severe storms without warning and on a great scale throughout the Americas. With the global climate change, it is the belief of many scientist that these Hurricanes will become more potent and dangerous.
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