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

Abstract

Alao River micro-watershed is located in Pungalá town, where various economic activities are carried out directly and indirectly impacting water resources. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the Water Footprint of Alao River micro-watershed to strengthen and manage its community policy using the amount of water necessary to produce a good or service as a management tool. The evaluation was conducted using the IICA methodological guide for Water Footprint Assessment in a Watershed, which incorporates three Water Footprint indicators: Green, Blue, and Grey. The water footprint was measured using CropWat 8.0 and ClimWat 2.0 software, which provided the data for the calculations.The water footprint and water usage in the Alao River micro-watershed were determined by combining values such as the Green Water Footprint at 125,281.27 m³/year, the Blue Water Footprint at 1,834,655.89 m³/year, and the Grey Water Footprint at 134,101.61 m³/year. This evaluation determined that the Blue Water Footprint predominates in Alao River micro-watershed with 88%, compared to 6% each for the Green and Grey footprints. From this measurement, it was concluded that the Alao River micro-watershed is sustainable in the management, use, and availability of water. Based on this analysis, it is recommended that the Autonomous Decentralized Government of Pungalá town implement the proposed management strategies for the agricultural, livestock, and domestic sectors to sustainably leverage the current state of the micro-watershed, thereby improving the quality of life for residents and the environment.