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abstract 571

SELECTION OF HYDROLOGICAL DESIGN CRITERIA AS ANSWER TO WATER DEMAND IN ARGENTINIAN ISOLATED COMMUNITIES

Author(s): Seoene Rafael, Fattor Claudio, Grande Andrés
Seoane Rafael: Investigator of National Council of Scientific and Technical Researches. Main area of research: Hydrology. Fattor Claudio: Hydraulic Engineer with main area of activities in the field of the design of hydraulic structures. Grande Andr

Keyword(s): hydrology, mountain basin, rural communities, water resources identification, water supply

Article:
Poster:

Session: Poster session 4

AbstractThe objective of this work is to propose a methodology for the

identification of water resources in mountain basins, being able to contribute to the analysis and selection of small

hydraulic works destined to improve the possibilities to develop sustainable projects of populations located in

regions of scarce economic resources.

Many isolated populations of Argentina still do not have access to

water resources able to be supplied in proper amount and good quality such that the sustainable development of

these communities can be guaranteed. The severe climatic conditions, the absence of roads, the lack of electrical

energy are, among others, daily problems that must be also borne in mind to understand the social complexity of

these people.

The problems previously exposed concerning water resources involve technical and social issues

that must be considered from a global viewpoint. This article deals with the guidelines considered for water resources

identification and the preliminary project of collection and distribution works for a small community located in the

northwestern area of Argentina. The rural population is known as San Isidro (province of Salta), with 350

inhabitants, being located at 2,800 m elevation above sea level.

San Isidro is located close to the

homonymous river, which is tributary to Iruya River. The surface of the river basin reaches 90 km2, with an average

slope close to 10%. The hydrological regime is pluvial, with a mean annual precipitation near 300 mm, mainly

concentrated between the months of December and March. In this season, there is a high probability of occurrence

of convective summer storms that may generate flash floods with the characteristics of debris flows. These facts

imply a restriction in the use of the water resource by the population as well as of the works that could be

considered, which are mainly restricted to the underground water resource.

The previous concepts were

considered when proposing a methodology for the identification of the adequate tools for proceeding to the

hydrological computation that are necessary to quantify run-off and underground water resource. Different

methodologies of calculation for the estimation of extreme flow discharges (minimum and maximum) in a region with

scarce hydrological and meteorological information were evaluated. At this stage, the convenience of avoiding the

use of complex hydrological and hydraulic methods was specially considered because that would demand data and

investments beyond the scope of a project trying to solve the problem of the access to the water of these

communities.

The hydrological and hydraulic studies carried out allowed defining a basic project of a work of

water collection from the sub-stream bed, able to guarantee the water supply along the whole year attending needs

coming from human consumption, basic agriculture, breeding and a possible micro-hydroelectric project.

The

proposed methodology has allowed defining the scope of different criteria of hydrological calculation in basins like

San Isidro catchment basin, where it is very important to bring a technical answer bearing in mind the social and

cultural issues of the communities.

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SELECTION OF HYDROLOGICAL DESIGN CRITERIA AS ANSWER TO WATER DEMAND IN ARGENTINIAN ISOLATED COMMUNITIES