APROXIMACIÓN A LA HUELLA HÍDRICA DIRECTA EN EL TERRITORIO DE MEDELLÍN Y SU ÁREA METROPOLITANA A 2009. Perspectivas hacia un desarrollo urbano más sostenible en la cuenca del rio Aburrá.
Esta la investigación parte de una inquietud relaciona con los sistemas hidrográficos y la gestión del recurso hídrico en el contexto urbano. Fue realizada a modo de tesina del master oficial en Arquitectura, energía y Medio ambiente de la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña – Barcelona, 2010.Fue acompañada por el Dr. Jordi Morató, Director de la Catedra UNESCO de Sostenibilidad de la UPC.
Esta investigación se dio en el marco del crédito-beca otorgado por la fundación COLFUTURO para realizar la maestría.
ABSTRACT
Water on the planet depends on the hydrological cycle, meanwhile it remains stable could say that it is a removable resource, however it doesn´t spouse its permanence in time, because the resource is suffering a constant pressure, done by the population increase and its related activities, compromising its quality and quantity; water is a finite resource.
But not only water as an element itself acquires importance, because in order to take place, flow and/or stay on, it needs a base; a territory, where water and landscape join, forming an integrated whole; a water landscape, on which we set on, which supplies us, and on which we put a pressure, altering its natural features according to the interest and the current socioeconomically troubles. Actually, the hydric resource and in general the water´s landscape must be considered as fundamental elements within the urban development of our cities, with which have to acquire a deep compromise to guarantee its preservation, recuperation and sustainable use around the complex scenario that present us the climate change.
To work over a territory, first it must understand its dynamics. Hence, starting from the concept of water footprint in its direct component, this work aims to make an approximation to the state of the hydric resource in the territory where the city of Medellin and its metropolitan area are settled, considering that this has as preexistence a territory with an important water resource, set by the Aburrá river basin.
Questions as: where it comes and goes the water consumed in the Aburrá river basin? How much is the resource consumed by its inhabitants? how much is the resource contaminated and treated? what is the availability of the hydric resource in the territory? are important for approaching to the current state of the basin.
