National Water Forum
Santo Domingo. February 24th, 2007.

Eddie Laboy Nieves, President of the International Center for Environmental and Sustainable Development Studies, argues that economic development in Puerto Rico, which evolved out of a transition from a rural and agricultural society to an urban and industrial society, has occurred to the detriment of the countries natural legacy.

While participating in the National Water Forum, which took place from February 21-23 at GFDD/FUNGLODE’s auditorium in Santo Domingo, Laboy Nieves maintained that Puerto Rico, with hardly 9.000 square kilometers, has the greatest density of pharmacies, commercial centers and paved roads in the world. However, as Laboy Nieves points out, all of this development took place without ever taking the necessary measures to protect the surrounding natural resources, among them water.

Urban development cannot occur at the cost of destroying the natural resources upon which we all depend, Laboy stated. “If we continue on the path of uncontrolled development, our natural resources will become so severely depleted, that it will compromise human existence itself.”

A Professor at the University of Turabo, Eddie Laboy Nieves, urged developing nations to adopt sustainable development practices. “The Brundtland Commission defines sustainable development as development which meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, Laboy stated.”

He went on to define sustainable development as a process of progressive change in the quality of life for all, which can be accomplished through economic growth based on social equity, a transformation of the methods of production and patterns of consumption, which can sustain the ecological balance and life support of a nation.

Laboy Nieves also added that adopting the new paradigm of sustainable development will necessitate respect for cultural and natural diversity, a harmonious coexistence with nature and the guarantee of a sustained quality of life for future generations.

“We are ethical and rational beings. As such, we must try, one way or another, to adopt the same sustainable practices that are the norm for all developed nations”. The lack of environmental sustainability we are experiencing is a result of the deficiency in governance towards the environment, he argued.

As a result of uncontrolled growth in urban areas most of the agricultural resources consumed in Puerto Rico comes from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Costa Rica. “That is to say, this country has benefited from the myopic vision we have held. Moreover, our vast water reserves, the majority of which are found in subterranean aquifers within the northern carsic regions of Puerto Rico, are those that provide the greatest volume of water for human, agricultural, and industrial use and which also supply the coastal wetlands”.

The president of CIEMADeS - Puerto Rico, warned that there are many factors threatening the natural integrity of the northern carsic regions of Puerto Rico such as poorly defined ecotourism projects, a high demand for limestone, inappropriate zoning for quarries, the construction of new highways, sprawl development and the discharge of untreated sewage directly into the natural water bodies.

“The aquifers are definitely threatened”, Laboy maintains. “As the threats persist, hydrologists are closely observing the pattern of water availability and producing estimates. This is worrisome because, as an island, the only recourse that would remain would be to desalinize water-- adding therefore a great cost to our reality”.

The National Water Forum, which was held at FUNGLODE, came to a close on February 23. The goal of the conference was to increase awareness and spark debate about the current water situation, on both a local and global scale, as well as to highlight the economic, commercial, legal and social solutions that could be implemented towards achieving the sustainable use of hydric resources.

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