Abstract

RODRIGUEZ ESTEVES, Juan Manuel. The Socio-hydrological Challenge of the Tijuana River Watershed to Address Climate Change. Región y sociedad [online]. 2020, vol.32, e1377.  Epub Mar 10, 2021. ISSN 2448-4849.  https://doi.org/10.22198/rys2020/32/1377.

The objective is to analyze the socio-hydrological context of the Tijuana River Watershed to address climate change. This watershed was chosen because it was located in a semi-desert region and it is shared by Mexico and the United States, which gives to it specific characteristics. Methodology used the consultation of the Public Register of Water Rights (REPDA), data from the National Water Commission (Conagua), population projections, climate change scenarios, and academic publications, which enabled the hydrological regime, the urban growth, and the binational cooperation analysis. Results lead to understand the water transfer dependency and the cooperation among Mexico and the United States. One limitation of the study is that people’s points of view must be considered to address water scarcity in a climate change context, as well as the strategies they have implemented. It is concluded that, despite the low water availability due to the climate change context, there are binational collaboration mechanisms to supply water to urban areas of both countries.

Keywords : hydrological regime; urban growth; Colorado River-Tijuana Aqueduct; climate change; Tijuana River Watershed.