Risk identification in the Jaime Creek, Valparaiso, Chile

Abstract

The commune of Valparaíso, located on the central coast of Chile, represents a territory of interest for the study of the impacts derived from socio-natural risks and the discussion about its due inclusion in the current territorial planning instruments. Particularly, the Jaime ravine (quebrada Jaime), located in the foothills of the coastal mountain range, represents an interesting study site due to its physical configuration and the level of anthropic intervention that occurs. In this sector, part of the community's low-income population has been forced to migrate, due to the scarcity of urban land in safe areas, facing a series of risks that jeopardize their quality of life. This research uses multicriteria analysis based on physical and social variables to identify and territorially express the risk scenarios for the population of this stream. Forest fires and mass removal processes are presented as the most complex events with the greatest impact and that until now have not been properly integrated into the Valparaíso Metropolitan Regulatory Plan (PREMVAL), thus allowing the intensive use of the territory in risk areas, a situation that must be reanalyzed based on the natural dynamics of the ravine and the progressive occupation of the land, to avoid future impacts on the population