Conservation Efforts: Water conservation in Panama was a little difficult to find data on. As far as I can tell Panamanians depend on an abundance of water from rain because of the country’s locations in the tropics.
I can imagine that if Panama is used to getting a large amount of water from rain it could be potently devastating if there were a drought or any significant drop in rainfall. In Panama there is a wet and a dry season. During the wet season Panamanians depend on the rains to replenish their lakes and rivers. When there is a drought or the dry season lasts longer than expected, which Panama is dealing with right now, the Panamanian government rations both water and electricity. I found an article from “Newsroom Panama” (http://www.newsroompanama.com/panama/5683-water-rationing-not-on-the-cards-yet.html) that talks about recent shortages in rain and how the country would deal with the problem. The article stated that the lakes and rivers that supplied that water treatment plants and sewage treatment plants were not at a low enough level to require the rationing of water. In the same article the rationing of electric power was also discussed. This is because most of the electric power in the country is supplied by hydroelectric power. The way that the government enforces this rationing of electric power is by fining companies that use illuminated signs. Another article I found in “Bloomber Businessweek” (http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-09/panama-canal-cuts-water-use-as-drought-prompts-energy-rationing) makes similar claims about water and power rationing. Except that it focused more on the Panama Canal and how it had preemptively rationed its water and power use. The article also explained that the Panamanian government had suspended classes in schools and universities for a week and asked the public sector to turn off their air-conditioning.
Sustainability: This system only seems sustainable if the yearly wet and dry season cycles remain stable. In Panama the conservation of water is not a preventative measure, but a way to deal with a lack of rainfall when it happens. Panama depends on water not only for drinking and sanitation but also for the majority of their power. The Panama Canal is also a massive part of their economy that uses a large amount of water and power. With climate change widely accepted as a reality, depending on a stable climate for all of these parts of their society does not seem very sustainable at all. An ace in the hole that Panama does have is aquifers, with over 125 sources of natural spring water Panama could hypothetically survive on the water provided by the aquifers. (http://www.panamaqmagazine.com/Feb%2010%20Q%20Takes/bottle_water.html) This could be a temporary solution as long as the rains do return, so the aquifers could be replenished. Unfortunately pumping these aquifers and bottling the water has become a lucrative industry in Panama, and as we have seen in the documentaries in class, if this is done irresponsibly it could be potentially devastating. If the rain cycles do stay the same, and income from the canal and truism stay stable then a water treatment system like we have in the industrialized world seems sustainable. These technologies seem legitimate if the government can afford them.
Conflicts: As far as I can tell from my research there are no real conflicts in Panama over water. For the time being there is enough water to satisfy domestic, industrial and commercial needs. There is a slight drought going on now, it’s actually more like an extended dry season. There is inconvenience and slight loss in revenue from the water and electricity rationing but nothing that would destabilize the country or cause a civil war. As far as other countries are concerned, the countries that Panama shares a border with are not a threat, especially over water. There is one major conflict that Panama was engaged in over water, and that was the 1989 US invasion of Panama. I say that it was over water because the ousting of then president Manuel Noriega was, among other stated goals, to ensure the neutrality of the Panama Canal.
Concluding Thoughts: I think that water will play a major role in the future of our society. I think that it is very hard to tell what that role will be. I’m skeptical about the extreme views about future wars being fought over water, especially in developed nations. I have hope that we can come up with peaceful ways to distribute water. I think that we could potentially be facing a major crisis but I do have faith that there is a solution, we just need to come up with it. I don’t necessarily think that water technologies will “cure” the problem, but that they will be part of the “cure”. When you look at how desalinization and purification technology has changed it’s not preposterous to think that these technologies could have a major impact on potential water crisis’ in the future. I also think that the fact that there are classes like this one that spread awareness about current problems with water, it will help our society deal with problems down the road.
Water Resources in Panama 