Supply–Demand of Water Resource of a Basin With High Anthropic Pressure: Case Study Quenane-Quenanito Basin in Colombia

Abstract

Water scarcity has increased in the last century due to the effects of climate change and the over-exploitation of anthropic activities that deteriorate strategic ecosystems in watersheds. This study quantified the water consumption of anthropic activities according to the water footprint (WF) and the water supply available (WSA) using the GR2M hydrological simulation model in the Quenane-Quenanito basin in Colombia. The objective of this study was to analyze the dynamic supply–demand of water and identify potential conflicts associated with the use of water. The results of this study show that the WF of the basin was 17.01 million m3/year, 79.97% of which was the green WF and 20.03% of which was the blue WF, and that the WSA of the basin was 272.1 million m3/year. In addition, potential conflicts over the use of water were identified due to water scarcity in 11 sub-basins during the months of January to March. In conclusion, analyzing the demand and supply of water in basins and taking into account their spatiotemporal distribution allows us to measure the impacts of anthropic activities on water resources, which can prevent potential conflicts associated with the use of water between sectors or the involvement of ecological dynamics.