Capítulo 1: Estado actual del conocimiento de los aspectos naturales y antrópicos del piedemonte de la Precordillera de Mendoza y San Juan

ALBERTO I J VICH

Amenazas naturales de origen hídrico en el centro-oeste árido de Argentina. Diagnóstico y estrategias para su mitigación y control en el Gran San Juan y Gran Mendoza

Zeta Editores

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2010; p. 15 - 26

Capítulo 1 ESTADO ACTUAL DEL CONOCIMIENTO DE LOS ASPECTOS NATURALES Y ANTRÓPICOS DEL PIEDEMONTE DE LA PRECORDILLERA DE MENDOZA Y SAN JUAN PRESENT STATUS OF ART OF THE KNOWLEDGE ON THE NATURAL AND ANTHROPIC PIEDMONT ASPECTS OF THE MENDOZA AND SAN JUAN PRECORDILLERA Alberto I.  J.  Vich Abstract Historical and geopolitical situations, not the object of our study, have caused that a large part of the many towns and cultivated zones of the west and center of Argentina are in regions affected -directly or indirectly- by flood problems. To name a few, there are the cities of San Salvador de Jujuy, Salta, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, San Juan, Gran Mendoza, Neuquén and numerous towns located nearby mountainous country. The basins west of Gran Mendoza and San Juan cities, both main oases and capital cities of the likewise named provinces, are the typical case of zones with very high flood hazard. The history is filled with records of flood provoked damages in the region. In general, the piedmont as these areas are usually known, keeps a tight relationship with society in its ecological, cultural, aesthetic, recreational and economical aspects. The piedmont provides a number of ecological goods and services, outstanding among them the rol of flow regulator for its basins superficial water. The closeness of the urban dwellings subjects this environment to a deteriorating process that has been accelerated in the last years for different actions or uses, such as: open garbage dumps without precise boundaries, arid extraction, human dwellings, excessive woody plants felling, indiscriminate grazing, natural and intentional fires and other pseudo-recreational activities. The lacks of knowledge of the hydro-environmental relations and the large demand for urbanization have caused the use of new marginal lands, hence noticeably accelerating the degradation process. We must stress here that the flood matter is more severe and urgent to solve in the Gran Mendoza than in the Gran San Juan, as shown by the size of the built defense works.