Evaluación de la huella hídrica de la microcuenca del Río Blanco en el fortalecimiento de su gestión y política comunitaria.

Abstract

The goal was to evaluate the water footprint of the Río Blanco micro-basin in Chimborazo for the strengthening of its management and community policy, as a tool to know the sustainability of the water resource. This research is part of the "Building a Resilient Future for the Andean Paramo Ecosystem of Ecuador" program of the Research and Development Group for the Environment and Climate Change (GIDAC) -ESPOCH. The study was based on the Methodological Guide for the evaluation of the water footprint of an IICA watershed, analyzing three indicators: green, blue and gray water footprints in five stretches of the micro-basin, as well as water and soil sampling, measurements of flows and infiltration, interviews to the population. For the analysis of the information, we used the Cropwat 8.0 program, Climwat 2.0 and the application of formulas that can integrate the hydrological variables. The results obtained in the rainy season present: Green Water Footprint of 100143.14 m3 Blue Water Footprint of 114666.37 m3 and Footprint Gray Water of 26101.77 m3, where the agricultural sector contributed regularly to the final assessment of the water footprint. The Blanco River sustainability analysis included Blue shortage indexes of 0.05, 0.12 for the Green shortage index and 0.01 for the Gray shortage index; all less than 1, demonstrating that currently there is sustainability in the micro-basin both for consumption, availability and water purification. Therefore, with the formulation of strategies, it is expected to incorporate an instrument that contributes to the improvement of the use of water resources and the formulation of measures to maintain the sustainability of the river basin, without abandoning work and inclusion. Therefore, it is recommended to strengthen the networks of research and knowledge on water footprint in the rainy and dry seasons.