Browsing by Author "Ávila, Antonia"

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    Contingent Agreements to Reduce the Impacts of Droughts on Human Water Consumption
    (Springer, 2025) Vicuna Diaz, Sebastián; Ávila, Antonia; Gironás León, Jorge Alfredo; Melo Contreras, Oscar Alfredo; Rivera Bravo, Daniela Pilar; Molinos, María
    One of the expected impacts of climate change is the alteration of precipitation and temperatures, modifying hydrological regimes and water availability. Faced with these changes, it is essential to adopt measures to guarantee the quantity, quality and continuity of drinking water supply to the population. This chapter proposes an instrument that consists of the design and implementation of pre-agreement contracts for the temporary transfer of water volumes from agriculture to water utilities. The application of the instrument is presented using the Aconcagua River basin and the Valparaíso-Viña del Mar conurbation in Chile as a case study. Through simulation models, the transfers, and economic compensations of a potential application of the instrument are characterized and evaluated considering different future climate scenarios, drought triggers for activation of pre-agreements, compensation scenarios based on human basic water consumption thresholds, and opportunity cost of water used in the agricultural sector.
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    Flexible Instruments to Address Water Security in the Context of Climate Uncertainty: A Case Study of Option Contracts in a Chilean River Basin
    (ASCE-AMER SOC CIVIL ENGINEERS, 2025) Ávila, Antonia; Vicuña, Sebastián; Gironás, Jorge; Melo, Oscar; Rivera, Daniela; Molinos, María
    Climate change is causing widespread extreme weather events around the world, affecting food and water security. One example is Chile, which is facing the longest drought in its history. To cope with this situation, adaptation measures such as option contracts have been explored. This type of contract allows the temporary transfer of water from one user to another, depending on weather conditions, with monetary compensation for the users who give up the water. Using the Aconcagua River basin as a case study, it was possible to evaluate the effectiveness of these contracts to mitigate the impact of drought on human consumption in a context of climatic uncertainty. The results indicate that the contract is activated between 0 and 49 times depending on the scenario and that the water supply of the water utility is increased. In conclusion, it is found that option contracts allow mitigating future water scarcity, reducing unsatisfied demand, and improving the water security of the affected populations.