Climate Risks in the Low Watershed of the Lempa River El Salvador, Central America

Central America: a multi-risks region (1)  Many hydrometeorological and tectonic events records exist and are well known by the public and by institutions.  Regional climate is influenced by the extremes of the SO (El Nino /La Nina events) and the hurricanes surge.  It is located over regional/local scale tectonic faults and with a dense range of volcanoes. It exist a lot of alluvial valleys close to large torrential hydrographic watersheds.  Damages, losses and human deaths; social and institutional responses have been disseminated through generations.  Development models have generated additional vulnerabilities: there are pressing issues related to environment & equity.  Recent economic reforms, namely, privatization, reduction of public administration & descentralization are magnifying vulnerabilities and limiting opportunities to have public entities & local stakeholders involved in defining development policies, plans & programs.

Central America: a multi-risks region (2)  During the last 5 years, issues related to disasters relief & prevention became a pressing demand over governments on the part of affected stakeholders.  After hurricane Mitch, governments endorsed a Regional Framework and a Plan for Disasters Prevention and Mitigation.  A PDF, based on that Plan was submitted before the GEF and aproved. However, its approach does not include climate change issues.

El Salvador: climate & development policies Climate:  Many inter-seasonal and long-term climatic anomalies producing negative socio-economic impacts.  Sometimes extreme events are magnified by their inter-action with other complex fenomena (e.g.: hurricane Mitch). Development Policies:  Environmental legal and policy frameworks are new and still not fully implemented.  Many public services have been privatized, local actors are assuming a large range of policy and planning decisions.  Traditional planning activities, e.g.: sectoral policies or indicative plans or programs have been eliminated.  Current development context could generate additional vulnerabilities (social, environmental or economic).

The Low watershed of the Lempa river:  El Salvador shares the regional central range of mountains- related events of the region.  Impacts of events generated upstream the Lempa river (Guatemala & Honduras) are more severe downstream in ES.  The Lempa watershed determines about 49% of the Salvadoran territory, including the low watershed.  Most of Salvadoran live in tectonic and climate hazards prone areas. Economic activities have generated additional socio- economic risks (landslides, mudslides, floodings).  Alluvial coastal valley has been populated during the 90’s as if it were geologically concluded and stable.  The low watershed is considered a high risk area: a) many communities are located in the area, b) occurrance of frequent disasters, c) most of soils do not infiltrate water when humid & d) agriculture and fisheries are the main economic activities.

Floodings in the Low Lempa  The Low Lempa is the natural flood plain of the river.  More than 30,000 people leave and work in that area.  There is an hydropower dam upstream the area.  According to maximun recorded discharges the level and covering of floods and the impacts are different.  Every year agriculture is affected by droughts with moderate to severe intensities: most of the inhabitants in that area have incomes from their crops. Irrigation is adopted at an experimental scale and few cases exist.  During El Nino event fisheries suffer from temperature increases of the sea water along the Pacific coastline: fishermen have no income and have to address the problem on their own. As a result, more deforestation is produced. Droughts