Water crisis in Petorca basin, Chile: The combined effects of a mega-drought and water management
Abstract
Since 2010, Chile has experienced one of the most severe droughts over the last century, the so-called mega-drought (MD). The MD conditions, combined with intensive agricultural activities and the current water management system, have led to water scarcity problems in Mediterranean and Semi-arid regions of Chile. An emblematic case is the Petorca basin, where a water crisis is undergone. To characterize this crisis, we analyzed water provision by using tree-ring records, remote sensing, instrumental data, and allocated water rights within the basin. Results indicate that the MD is the most severe dry period over the last 700-years of streamflow reconstruction. During the MD, streamflow and water bodies of the upper parts of the basin have been less affected than mid and low areas of this valley, where consumptive withdrawals reach up to 18% of the mean annual precipitation. This extracted volume is similar to the MD mean annual precipitation deficits. The impacts of the current drought, along with the drier climate projections for Central Chile, emphasize the urgency for faster policy changes related to water provision. Climate change adaptation plans and policies should enhance the current monitoring network and the public control of water use to secure the water access for inhabitants and productive activities.
Materias
DroughtConflicts for water
Streamflow reconstruction
Water access
Water scarcity
Water management
Climate change
Documento no disponible en formato digital. Consultar en biblioteca INFOR: Contacto

Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Local Participation in Forest Watershed Management: Design and Analysis of Experiences in Water Supply ...
Vargas Rojas, Víctor; Carrasco, Noelia; Vargas, Camila (MDPI, 2019)El objetivo de esta investigación fue describir y analizar cualitativamente un modelo de intervención territorial basado en dos estudios de caso. Ambas involucran a partes interesadas del ... -
Assessing reservoir performance under climate change. When is it going to be too late If current water ...
Chadwick Irarrázaval, Cristián; Gironás, Jorge; Barría Sandoval, Pilar Andrea; Vicuña, Sebastián; Meza, Francisco (MDPI, 2021)Climate change is modifying the way we design and operate water infrastructure, including reservoirs. A particular issue is that current infrastructure and reservoir management rules will ... -
Examining physiological, water relations, and hydraulic vulnerability traits to determine anisohydric ...
Álvarez, Carolina; Acevedo Tapia, Manuel; Estay, Daniela; Aros, Fabián; Dumroese, R. Kasten; Sandoval, Simón; Pinto, Manuel (Frontiers, 2022)The search for drought tolerant species or cultivars is important to address water scarcity caused by climate change in Mediterranean regions. The anisohydric–isohydric behavior concept has ...