Integral Management for Piura River Basin in Peru

Piura is a coastal region of 1.8 million inhabitants located in northwestern Peru. Local economy is driven by three3 rivers: Chira (~ 1500 m3 / s), Huancabamba (Q = 900 m3 / s) and Piura (Q = ~ 100 m3 / s). Due to the regular lack of water resource into the Piura basin, a hydraulic system was built in the 70`s for agriculture. Dams and channels are used to transfer water from Chira River to Piura and other projects are being developed to transfer water from Huancabamba River to Piura through hydraulic infrastructure. However, there is an inter-annual phenomenon that occurs every few years, which is called "El Niño" that increases dramatically the flow in rivers. Besides, the Piura River does not have infrastructure for flow regulation, and deforestation and unplanned urban development increase the vulnerability levels in these regions, which results in human and economic losses. The present study aims to propose possible solutions both structural and non-structural for river maintenance under the integrated management approach of sustainable water basin to reduce this vulnerability to floods.

Keywords: Piura river basin; El Niño phenomenon; river management; Vulnerability; floods.