Territorial characterization of the upper basin of the Sábalo River, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador

Abstract

There are common environmental problems of deforestation due to the advance of the agricultural frontier, use of pesticides, soil compaction and erosion, among others, on the Andean Mountain range, which become determining factors in the configuration of landscapes and territory, understood as the place where not only the biophysical aspects are evident, but mainly the cultural ones, which ultimately determine the way in which the soil is worked, the food is produced and the social relations that shape the current landscapes of the Andes Mountains. The upper basin of the Sabalo River, located in Valle Hermoso, province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, does not escape this Andean reality, its environmental problems mainly characterized by the advance of the agricultural frontier, deforestation in sensitive areas such as water sources, and the shores of the estuaries Lolita and Roncador which, when joining their waters at the height of km 3, make up the Sabalo River. One of the indicators used in this investigation as a reflection of this problem is the contamination of organic matter (COD), which increases downstream 10.7 mg L-1 in relation to the upper part of the basin corresponding to 2.44 mg L-1. It was found that the flow of  water bodies in times of less rainfall disappears or decrease to levels that do not meet the conditions of ecological flow. Regarding the microbiological parameters especially Fecal Coliform (CF), the water in the catchment area of ​​the Sabalo River (Lower part of the basin) does not comply with the provisions of Table 3 of the (TULSMA) Unified Text of Secondary Legislation of the Ministry of the Environment.