Author(s)

C. Mendoza & C. Levi

Abstract

Water problems in the basin of Lake Pátzcuaro in Mexico mainly include the lack of sufficient quantity of high quality water, the uneven geographical distribution and quantity of existing adequate water supplies, and the degradation of the hydrological system due to natural and man-made stresses. To cope with these problems, in the last three years an overall rehabilitation program for Lake Pátzcuaro has been implemented, mainly consisting of infrastructure construction, technology transfer, and training projects for the use of technologies and infrastructure maintenance. Because social impact assessment of these projects is considered crucial for future water resources strategic planning in the basin, this paper proposes a methodological approach for this purpose. The basis for the social impact assessment is a model of five indicators of community change considered as social factors that lead to the appropriation of the technology or infrastructure by the community people. To make this possible, the engineers responsible for the project need to be aware of the social implications of the project from the beginning and consider the social participation of the community people for whom the technology or infrastructure is destined: before its implementation, during the process of implementation and in its future maintenance. The assessment is carried out by means of a survey considering three types of populations and the data thus obtained are analyzed through statistical hypothesis testing. This paper includes an example of the model’s application in one project carried out in the basin of Lake Pátzcuaro which is interesting due to the special social organization of its inhabitants. Keywords: social impact assessment, strategic planning, technological water projects, environmental change, community change, Lake Pátzcuaro basin.

Keywords

social impact assessment, strategic planning, technological water projects, environmental change, community change, Lake Pátzcuaro basin.