Estimación de la huella hídrica en el Centro de Gestión y Desarrollo Sostenible Surcolombiano, sede Yamboró

Abstract

The phenomena of climate change, caused by anthropic and natural actions, have triggered a water
crisis, which puts at risk the sufficiency of the resource to meet the basic needs of the populations
and the development of productive processes. These alterations are increasing the fragility of aquatic
ecosystems; therefore, sustainable development mechanisms should be implemented with an
efficient water management approach. The objective of this research was to estimate the water
footprint generated by the activities carried out at the Surcolombiano Management and Sustainable
Development Center, Yamboró headquarters. The methodology applied to calculate the water
footprint was the one proposed by Hoesktra in the Water Footprint Assessment Manual established
as a world standard, which establishes the determination of the direct WF from three aspects: blue
WF, green WF and gray WF. To calculate the green WF, the green area and the effective precipitation
were considered; To evaluate the blue WF, the volume of drinking water and the water that returns
to the water source through discharges were taken. For the calculation of the gray water footprint,
the COD parameter was taken as an indicator, as well as the volumes of the influent and effluent.
These indicators estimated from the WF of the Yamboró headquarters will allow management for the
comprehensive use of water in the activities carried out within the institution, by reducing
consumption, creating factors of sustainability and use of water resources