Limarí River Basin, Semi-Arid Chile: Aspects of Water Supply and Water Supply and Demand

In the semiarid region of Chile, how result of primary economical group products exportation increasing, the water offer-demand relation is in a light equilibrium situation, bringing instability to the exporter model. By one hand, the water demand is progressively increasing. On the other hand and a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: FERRANDO A., FRANCISCO J.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:Spanish
Published: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Facultad de Historia, Geografía y Ciencias Políticas, Instituto de Geografía 2021
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Online Access:https://ojs.uc.cl/index.php/RGNG/article/view/42867
Description
Summary:In the semiarid region of Chile, how result of primary economical group products exportation increasing, the water offer-demand relation is in a light equilibrium situation, bringing instability to the exporter model. By one hand, the water demand is progressively increasing. On the other hand and according to climatic tendencies, a decreasing of the water resource offer is happen. Because this situation seems necessary a complete knowledge about the water resources availability and variability at this region. Consubstantially, a highlight situation occur with the register of perennial run off at the three principal river systems, even during droughts. This antecedent brings to think about the existence of underground water resources in aquifers as well as in permafrost forms, who are been evaluated has water source just in the last fewyears. Is not possible to refuse his permanent water contribution to superficial runoff, to irrigation dams and to the Andean swamps. En la región semiárida de Chile, producto del aprovechamiento de las ventajas comparativas del comercio internacional, la relación oferta-demanda de agua está sufriendo un fuerte desequilibrio que atenta contra la sostenibilidad del modelo exportador. Por una parte, la demanda de agua se incrementa progresivamente; por otra y considerando las tendencias del cambio climático, la oferta del recurso hídrico parece reducirse. Ante este déficit, es menester un cabal conocimiento de las disponibilidades de este recurso y su variabilidad. Consustancialmente, llama la atención que los tres sistemas hidrológicos principales sean capaces de mantener escurrimiento perenne, incluso durante períodos de sequía. Ello lleva a plantearse la existencia de recursos subterráneos, tanto en acuíferos como en formas de permafrost. Estas últimas sólo recientemente han estado siendo evaluadas como fuentes de aporte constante a los cursos fluviales y embalses de riego como a las vegas de altura.