Characterization of hydrological drought in the Cauca river high valley

Abstract

Droughts are one of the most complex natural phenomena and can have devastating effects on social and ecological systems. As a consequence of the Climate Change (CC), the increasing pressure of water demand caused by population growth and the expansion of the agricultural, energy and industrial sectors have intensified, so it is necessary to identify and characterize droughts. In this work, the Streamflow Drought Index (SDI) was calculated for four stations located in the Cauca River in its high valley, with the purpose of detect the occurrence and intensity of hydrological droughts. The results showed that the most intense and major events occurred during the years 1991-1992 and 2015-2016, during which the El Niño phenomenon occurred in Colombia.