Sequía, un problema de perspectiva y gestión

Abstract

Since the beginning of history, drought and water scarcity have been decisive factors in human development; the big famines have caused entire populations mobilization, and in some cases their decadence and disappearance. Drought has frequently been also the technological development driving force, when impelling scientific progress for improving water use efficiency. When a drought occurs, technological aspects (structural) mean the practical phase in order to mitigate the damages. However, this is not the most important fact. Frequently, drought impacts are due mostly to water administration, its usage and regulations; this is, to the resource management, which is the non-structural aspect of the problem. That is why, the consequences of the phenomenon are not natural disasters, but simply disasters induced by diverse anthropogenic factors, among which are information, institutional, and social organization deficiencies, and absence of appropriate and opportune strategies, in order to face droughts. Having a phenomenon appropriate perception is probably the first step to achieve that water administration during shortage periods allows confronting drought successfully, based on an appropriate assignment of water availability, and water deficit.