With increased industrial activity and a growing population, many areas of Argentina face a total lack of safe drinking water. Municipalities rarely have the resources to treat water before entry to other bodies of water, resulting in the contamination of the majority of both subterranean and superficial water resources. Buenos Aires alone has depleted its aquifers, and now relies solely on the Rio de La Plata to supply its growing population's water needs. Unfortunately, this river is shared with Uruguay and makes one of the biggest estuaries in the world, but is being threatened by significant pollution. The establishment of transnational factories along the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers are one of the biggest threats of extreme water pollution in the area and one of the hottest topics in civil protest and debate.