Title: Regionalisation of hydrological drought in the Bogotá river basin using the L-moments method

Authors: Darwin Mena; Anyela Ramirez-Canon; Paula Ximena Moreno Vivas; Wendy Tatiana Hernández; Miguel Angel Cañon Ramos; Jordi Rafael Palacios Gonzalez; Freddy Santiago Duarte

Addresses: Facultad de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Santo Tomás, Cra 9 #51-11, Bogotá, Colombia ' Allies for Knowledge SAS (A4K), TV 58C Bis No 128 A – 27 Bogotá, Colombia ' Facultad de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Santo Tomás, Cra 9 #51-11, Bogotá, Colombia ' Facultad de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Santo Tomás, Cra 9 #51-11, Bogotá, Colombia ' Faculty of Engineering, Pontifica Universidad Javeriana, Cra 7 # 40-62, Bogotá, Colombia ' School of Exact Science and Engineering (ECEI), Sergio Arboleda University, Calle 74 #14-14, Bogotá, Colombia ' Civil Engineering Faculty, Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Julio Garavito, AK 45 #205-59, Bogotá, Colombia

Abstract: This study analyses the regionalisation of the magnitude of hydrological drought in the Bogotá river basin. It uses, for the first time, the regional analysis of frequency based on the L-moments method. The analysis included the control of data quality of the hydrology data; identification of homogeneous regions; determination of the frequency distribution and estimation of quantiles; characterisation of hydrological drought; and map generation representing the magnitude of the hydrological drought for return periods of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 years. From the analysis, four homogeneous geographical regions were identified. All regions displayed a water deficit for all the analysed return periods. Results suggest the level of runoff will decrease progressively until the runoff reaches critical conditions of extreme draught along the Bogotá river basin. In general, for all return periods, Region 3 is the one with lowest flows, followed by Regions 4, 1 and 2.

Keywords: extreme hydrometeorological events; hydrological drought; L-moment method; minimum flows; probability distribution; water deficit.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHST.2022.123648

International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology, 2022 Vol.14 No.1, pp.27 - 46

Received: 25 Jun 2020
Accepted: 14 Sep 2020
Published online: 30 Jun 2022 *

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