Potential contributions of pre-Inca infiltration infrastructure to Andean water security

Boris F. Ochoa-Tocachi (), Juan D. Bardales, Javier Antiporta, Katya Pérez, Luis Acosta, Feng Mao, Zed Zulkafli, Junior Gil-Ríos, Oscar Angulo, Sam Grainger, Gena Gammie, Bert De Bièvre and Wouter Buytaert
Additional contact information
Boris F. Ochoa-Tocachi: Imperial College London
Juan D. Bardales: Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems
Javier Antiporta: Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems
Katya Pérez: Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems
Luis Acosta: Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems
Feng Mao: University of Birmingham
Zed Zulkafli: Universiti Putra Malaysia
Junior Gil-Ríos: Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems
Oscar Angulo: Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems
Sam Grainger: University of Leeds
Gena Gammie: Forest Trends
Bert De Bièvre: Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems
Wouter Buytaert: Imperial College London

Nature Sustainability, 2019, vol. 2, issue 7, 584-593

Abstract: Abstract Water resources worldwide are under severe stress from increasing climate variability and human pressures. In the tropical Andes, pre-Inca cultures developed nature-based water harvesting technologies to manage drought risks under natural climatic extremes. While these technologies have gained renewed attention as a potential strategy to increase water security, limited scientific evidence exists about their potential hydrological contributions at catchment scale. Here, we evaluate a 1,400-year-old indigenous infiltration enhancement system that diverts water from headwater streams onto mountain slopes during the wet season to enhance the yield and longevity of downslope natural springs. Infiltrated water is retained for an average of 45 d before resurfacing, confirming the system’s ability to contribute to dry-season flows. We estimate that upscaling the system to the source-water areas of the city of Lima can potentially delay 99 × 106 m3 yr−1 of streamflow and increase dry-season flows by 7.5% on average, which may provide a critical complement to conventional engineering solutions for water security.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0307-1

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