Producing energy, depleting water: the energy sector as a driver of seasonal water scarcity in an extractive frontier of the upper Orinoco watershed, Colombia

ABSTRACT

The headwaters of the Orinoco are being transformed into an extractive frontier and experiencing drastic water depletion in the dry season. We use the concept of water metabolism to illustrate the impact of the energy sector in a region typically identified with agriculture. Results indicate that oil palm irrigation for biofuel production together with the disposal of production water from oil extraction account for surface water availability being fully allocated during the dry season. We use ranges in water data and generate scenarios to account for the uncertainty generated by inadequate water-use regulation and limited data availability.

KEYWORDS:

• Extractive frontier
• water metabolism
• water scarcity
• water–food–energy nexus
• Colombia

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the environmental leaders of the Metica River watershed for participating in the interpretation of the results.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Geolocation information

This research centres on the Metica River watershed at the headwaters of the Orinoco River basin in the Eastern Foothills of Colombia. The watershed is predominantly rural, with the presence of extractive activities such as intensive agriculture for biofuel production as well as petroleum extraction. The main urban municipalities include Acacías, Guamal and Humadea, within the department of Meta, Colombia.

Supplementary material

Supplementary data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2021.1955327.

Notes

1. Ecosystems characterized by the presence of Moriche (Mauritia flexuosa), which is a palm tree growing in swamps or water-saturated soils.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Universidad de los Andes Cuarta Bolsa research initiative [grant number V9102017].