The Guarani Aquifer, located beneath the surface of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, is one of the world's largest aquifer systems and is an important source of fresh water.[1] Named after the Guarani people, it covers 1,200,000 km², with a volume of about 40,000 km³, a thickness of between 50 m and 800 m and a maximum depth of about 1,800 m. It is estimated to contain about 37,000 km³ of water (arguably the largest single body of groundwater in the world, although the overall volume of the constituent parts of the Great Artesian Basin is much larger), with a total recharge rate of about 166 km³/year from precipitation. It is said that this vast underground reservoir could supply fresh drinking water to the world for 200 years. However, at closer inspection, if the world population were to stay at an equilibrium of about 6.96 billion, not even taking into account that babies need less water than grown adults, this figure reaches 1600 years, allowing about 9 liters per day per person. Due to an expected shortage of fresh water on a global scale, which environmentalists suggest will become critical in under 20 years, this important natural resource is rapidly becoming politicized, and the control of the resource becomes ever more controversial.
Geology of the aquifer
The Guarani Aquifer consists primarily of sedimented sandstones deposited by fluvial and eolian processes during the Triassic and Jurassic periods (between 200 and 130 million years ago), with over 90% of the total area overlaid with basalt of a low-permeability, deposited during the Cretaceous period, acting as an aquitard and providing a high degree of containment. This greatly reduces the rate of infiltration and subsequent recharge, but also isolates the aquifer from the Vadose zone and subsequent surface-associated losses due to evaporation and evapotranspiration.
Research and monitoring of the aquifer in order to better manage it as a resource is considered important, as the population growth rate within its area is relatively high — resulting in higher consumption and pollution risks.
The countries over the aquifer are also the original four Mercosur countries.
Importance of the Guarani Aquifer.
This Aquifer is one of the largest underground fresh water reservoirs in the world. Its accumulation capacity previously was estimated to 45.000 km3. The area of the Guarani Aquifer is concentrated in the most important regions of agricultural production of each of the four countries and embraces a territory populated by 29.924.268 inhabitants.
According to the Secretariat-general of the Guarani Aquifer Project, the extension of the Aquifer is 1.190.000 km2, including 70.000 km2 in Paraguayan territory.
The Guarani Aquifer recharges thanks to the rainwater of an approximate volume of 80 km3 per year. This represents the volume of water that could constantly be used.
Carried out studies revealed that the waters of the Guarani Aquifer are still free of contamination.
How to take care of the Guarani Aquifer.
1. By protecting the wetlands
2. By not contaminating the surface waters
3. By not deforesting
4. By respecting the standards of wells’ perforation
5. By not wasting waters destined to consumption
6. By adequately laying out the solid residues
7. By avoiding to the maximum the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers
8. By controlling the grounds erosion by the means of practices such as level lines, grounds coverage, direct sowing etc.
9. By practicing the integrated management of the hydrous resources
10. By implementing treatments and residual waters recycling.
Main Aquifers in Paraguay.
-Guarani: embraces the Departments of High Parana, Canindeyu, Amambay, Itapua, Eastern Caazapa, Caaguazu, and San Pedro, the extreme East of Guaira, the South-Eastern of Concepcion and Ñeembucu and parts in the Centre, South and East of Misiones.
-Yrenda: North-Western Chaco (Department of Boqueron)
-Patiño: embraces the sector included in the triangle formed by Lambaré, in the South-west: Limpio, in the North-West and Paraguari in the South-east.
Aquifer
Geological structure of the Earth's crust in which water accumulates, coming from the surface or the condensation of the interior steam. It is constituted by permeable and porous rocks.
The Guarani aquifer is the second larger of the planet, behind the “Arenito Nubia” aquifer located in Libya, Egypt, Chad and Sudan in the north of Africa, of 2.000.000 km2, vs. 1.190.000 km2 of the Guarani aquifer.
Functions of the Aquifers:
-To provide water in order to maintain the surface rivers stable (producing function)
-To produce water for human consumption and the industrial and agricultural use (producing function)
-To avoid floods, by absorbing the water excess of the intense rains (regulating function)
-To store fresh water with very few losses due to evaporation.
-To feed out of water the wet estuaries and other wetlands.
-To store water as strategic reserve for times of lacks of rains (strategic function).
YRENDA ACUIFER
The SAY is a regional hydrogeological system that occupies Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. It is a semi confined to confined aquifer and consists of unconsolidated quaternary and tertiary sediments , that covers ca. 2/3 of the Western Region in Paraguay.
The groundwater salinity increases along the flow direction, which is from W to E; the velocity is estimated in the range of 20 to 46 m/yr. Recharge takes place in the Bolivian region through direct infiltration of precipitation and river water, in the sub-Andean hills (serranía del Aguaragüe). Discharge occurs twofold, depending on the area where it takes place. A) In the central-east region, discharge gives place to wetlands of brackish-salty waters, due to the presence of an impervious barrier to the east that partly avoids the further flow to the Paraguay River. The barrier causes an increase of the rest water level, which lies very close to the surface in the eastern part of the Central Chaco. This situation is not reverted by groundwater extraction for domestic water supply of urban areas because, due to the salinity, extraction is limited. B)The over exploitation of the eastern aquifers allows the intrusion of salty groundwater from the Yrenda Aquifer System into the Eastern Region of Paraguay. The aquifer at the border to Bolivia is characterized by a permeability that varies between 6-8 m/d and a transmissivity in the range of 400-200 m2/d. In the Central Chaco, the permeability lies between 0.3 and 12 m/d and the transmissivity between 80 and 120 m2/d, while the specific capacity varies in the range of 1.1 to 3.7 m3/h/m. These variations are related to the distribution of the permeable sediments, as grain sizes decrease from west to east following the deposition track
"The availability of fresh water became a strategic value, given the lack of a natural resource that has no substitute. Only 3% of the world's water is fresh"
You can own a plot with freshwater reserves!
This Aquifer is one of the largest underground fresh water reservoirs in the world. Its accumulation capacity previously was estimated to 45.000 km3. The area of the Guarani Aquifer is concentrated in the most important regions of agricultural production of each of the four countries and embraces a territory populated by 29.924.268 inhabitants.
According to the Secretariat-general of the Guarani Aquifer Project, the extension of the Aquifer is 1.190.000 km2, including 70.000 km2 in Paraguayan territory.
The Guarani Aquifer recharges thanks to the rainwater of an approximate volume of 80 km3 per year. This represents the volume of water that could constantly be used.
Carried out studies revealed that the waters of the Guarani Aquifer are still free of contamination.
How to take care of the Guarani Aquifer.
1. By protecting the wetlands
2. By not contaminating the surface waters
3. By not deforesting
4. By respecting the standards of wells’ perforation
5. By not wasting waters destined to consumption
6. By adequately laying out the solid residues
7. By avoiding to the maximum the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers
8. By controlling the grounds erosion by the means of practices such as level lines, grounds coverage, direct sowing etc.
9. By practicing the integrated management of the hydrous resources
10. By implementing treatments and residual waters recycling.
Main Aquifers in Paraguay.
-Guarani: embraces the Departments of High Parana, Canindeyu, Amambay, Itapua, Eastern Caazapa, Caaguazu, and San Pedro, the extreme East of Guaira, the South-Eastern of Concepcion and Ñeembucu and parts in the Centre, South and East of Misiones.
-Yrenda: North-Western Chaco (Department of Boqueron)
-Patiño: embraces the sector included in the triangle formed by Lambaré, in the South-west: Limpio, in the North-West and Paraguari in the South-east.
Aquifer
Geological structure of the Earth's crust in which water accumulates, coming from the surface or the condensation of the interior steam. It is constituted by permeable and porous rocks.
The Guarani aquifer is the second larger of the planet, behind the “Arenito Nubia” aquifer located in Libya, Egypt, Chad and Sudan in the north of Africa, of 2.000.000 km2, vs. 1.190.000 km2 of the Guarani aquifer.
Functions of the Aquifers:
-To provide water in order to maintain the surface rivers stable (producing function)
-To produce water for human consumption and the industrial and agricultural use (producing function)
-To avoid floods, by absorbing the water excess of the intense rains (regulating function)
-To store fresh water with very few losses due to evaporation.
-To feed out of water the wet estuaries and other wetlands.
-To store water as strategic reserve for times of lacks of rains (strategic function).
YRENDA ACUIFER
The SAY is a regional hydrogeological system that occupies Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. It is a semi confined to confined aquifer and consists of unconsolidated quaternary and tertiary sediments , that covers ca. 2/3 of the Western Region in Paraguay.
The groundwater salinity increases along the flow direction, which is from W to E; the velocity is estimated in the range of 20 to 46 m/yr. Recharge takes place in the Bolivian region through direct infiltration of precipitation and river water, in the sub-Andean hills (serranía del Aguaragüe). Discharge occurs twofold, depending on the area where it takes place. A) In the central-east region, discharge gives place to wetlands of brackish-salty waters, due to the presence of an impervious barrier to the east that partly avoids the further flow to the Paraguay River. The barrier causes an increase of the rest water level, which lies very close to the surface in the eastern part of the Central Chaco. This situation is not reverted by groundwater extraction for domestic water supply of urban areas because, due to the salinity, extraction is limited. B)The over exploitation of the eastern aquifers allows the intrusion of salty groundwater from the Yrenda Aquifer System into the Eastern Region of Paraguay. The aquifer at the border to Bolivia is characterized by a permeability that varies between 6-8 m/d and a transmissivity in the range of 400-200 m2/d. In the Central Chaco, the permeability lies between 0.3 and 12 m/d and the transmissivity between 80 and 120 m2/d, while the specific capacity varies in the range of 1.1 to 3.7 m3/h/m. These variations are related to the distribution of the permeable sediments, as grain sizes decrease from west to east following the deposition track
"The availability of fresh water became a strategic value, given the lack of a natural resource that has no substitute. Only 3% of the world's water is fresh"
You can own a plot with freshwater reserves!