La crisis social del agua: Entre conflictos y colaboraciones en un contexto de mega sequía y cambios al Código de Aguas en Chile

Abstract

Over the course of the last two decades, the water crisis in Chile has shifted from a phase of heightened conflict toward one that is more collaborative and articulated. This transition has been accompanied by a new legal framework that seeks, in part, to address the impacts of a market-driven water resource model through the reform of the Water Code approved in 2022. Based on principles prioritizing human consumption and sanitation, as well as the recognition of other water uses, the reform of the Water Code has facilitated gradual changes to mitigate the extreme inequalities of the property regime and its management model based on the allocation of rights. Drawing on contributions from political ecology, literature on extractivism, and the debate on the commons, along with a qualitative methodological strategy grounded in interviews and workshops, this study highlights the emergence of a new structure of social relations surrounding water in our country. Furthermore, it observes that the inclusion of new actors in the water discussion broadens the definition of “users” and strengthens articulations to consider for a collaborative governance model.