Assessment of water risk in the Napostá Grande stream basin (Buenos Aires province, Argentina)

Extreme hydrometeorological events have gained increasing visibility on public agendas in recent decades, given the material damage they cause and the population groups that are affected, especially those who live in the proximity of bodies of water. The study of these events, as well as their spatial distribution, allows us to identify areas with different levels of environmental criticality. The objective of this work is to analyze the characteristics of water risk in the lower reaches of the Napost & aacute; Grande stream basin (Argentina). The methodology included the statistical analysis of climatic, topographic, biological, and edaphic data. The results obtained showed that the areas that presented a high level of water risk were located in the northeast, northwest, south, and southeast of the study area; in the category of medium water risk, a large area of urban space was observed while the areas that presented low levels were located mainly in the north and east sectors. This information is key for the design and preparation of planning and land use planning proposals aimed at reducing the potential damage caused by the occurrence of potentially dangerous events such as floods, flooding, and overflows.