What is it about?
Climate change can affect hydrological services in Andean basins, so a possible reduction in water supply can lead to not meeting the needs of different users, which has become a real challenge for decision-makers with regards to water management. This paper presents the results obtained from hydrological modeling exercises in the Gualí River Basin (Colombia) by combining the Hydro-BID modeling tool, which consists of an analytical hydrology database for Latin America and the Caribbean that provides a great advantage for countries with limited information and the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) modeling tool, in order to determine the potential impacts of climate change on unsatisfied demand for water in the basin. The results show a possible decrease in flow compared to current conditions; between 5.8% and 9.56% for CPR 2.6, and between 2.18% and 6.86% for CPR 8.5. The approach presented is useful to ensure that timely decisions are made to meet the demands of users under the conditions of climate change.
Featured Image
Photo by Jack Anstey on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This article implements the hydrological modeling tool, known as HydroBID, developed specifically for the Latin American and Caribbean region. This tool takes into account aspects such as the lack of availability of meteorological and water information in the basins, as well as the relief conditions and specific characteristics of the area. In addition, the WEAP tool is integrated, by means of which the results of unsatisfied demand are obtained, having as input data the flows obtained through HydroBID.
Perspectives
Writing this article gave us an even greater idea about the true level of affectation that the water resource currently presents in Colombia, especially due to the changes and impacts that may occur as a result of climate change. We hope that studies like this will be taken into account by decision makers and the community in general to act on time.
DARWIN MENA RENTERÍA
Universidad Santo Tomas
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: An analysis of unmet water demand under climate change scenarios in the Gualí River Basin, Colombia, through the implementation of Hydro-BID and WEAP hydrological modeling tools, Journal of Water and Climate Change, December 2019, IWA Publishing,
DOI: 10.2166/wcc.2019.118.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
