A water crisis management: the Lerma Chapala basin case

摘要

The Lerma Chapala river basin is under great water stress, its water resources are almost at the limit of its exploitation. To extract any additional quantity of surface or ground water in any location in the basin implies an effect on the actual users. This situation has put at risk the economic development in the region and likewise the preservation in quantity and quality of Lake Chapala. To improve this situation it is strictly necessary to establish new ways to manage the water resources of the basin with a unified and responsible participation of water users and the society in general. The purpose of this paper is to present the analysis and evaluation of options to the solution to the Chapala water crisis in order to reach a condition of sustainability for the basin. The options formulated to manage the water crisis in the Lerma Chapala river basin are within an integrated water resources planning effort. The main result obtained from this exercise is the formulation of rules to allocate the available water in the basin to water users in an equitable and sustainable manner. The evaluation is performed though a river basin model developed specifically for the Lerma Chapala basin based on the simulation Stella platform. The main conclusion reached within this planning effort is the necessity of having the political will to implement integrated water management in the river basin, and to carry on common actions to establish a new hydrological order in the basin and a water sustainable exploitation in the medium and long term.