The Chilean government has finalized rules to protect water from contaminating emissions, expediting regulation on water courses and aquifers, reports the National Environment Commission (Conama). The aim is to control the waste that filters into the water sources through the ground.

The regulations are vital for using the underground reservoirs to supply water to cities in the northern Chilean deserts, say officials.

The first regulation to improve water quality was enacted in Chile in 1988, establishing limits on the level of industrial contaminants that could be discharged into the sewage system. In 2001, the level of liquid waste allowed into rivers and the ocean began to be regulated.