Abstract

PACHECO, Henry; MENDEZ, Williams; CARTAYA, Scarlet  and  MARCANO, Arismar. Communal Participation in the Implementation of Community Early Warning Systems to the Hydrogeomorphological Risks at the San Julián River Basin, Vargas State. Venezuela. Terra [online]. 2016, vol.32, n.51, pp.93-110. ISSN 1012-7089.

Some communities of Vargas State located within the San Julián River basin, occupy areas of high risk from the point of view of the hillside slope dynamics. The purpose of this paper is to prepare these communities in the implementation of Community Early Warning Systems (CEWS) for the local risk management by hydrogeomorphological events (floods and landslides), in order to minimize the impact of its occurrence. The methodology was based on the participation of communities under risk, through the construction and management of rainfall measuring instruments (handmade pluviometers); as well as in the conscious intervention proposals, concerted and planned to prevent, mitigate or reduce the hydrogeomorphological risk. The history of adverse events, community knowledge, current needs and the recognition of key actors who can act as multipliers of the experiences were considered. The workshops allowed the incorporation of a significant number of members of several Community Councils of the Caraballeda parish; and representatives of diverse regional organizations for citizen attention as Civil Protection and Municipal Firefighters. Community pluviometers were built and settled in different places of the basin. The project is now at the stage of evaluation of the first rainfall records.

Keywords : Communal participation; Community Early Warning Systems; risk local management; hydrogeomorphological risk; Vargas State.