|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hidrography
It is made up by two hydrographic systems; the Pacific System and the Atlantic System, to which the Titicaca Lake's watershed system is added.The Pacific hydrographic system is made up by the rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean; these are characterized by temporary freshets, mainly in summer, and they are short run rivers which have their origins in the andean region, most of these remain as dry rivers most of the year. The Saá¤áa, Ica, Piura, La Leche, Chincha and Mala rivers have an irregular regime, thus some years they become dry before reaching the Pacific Ocean. In this system, the Tumbes is a navigable river while the Zarumilla, Chira, Santa, Ocoá¤áa, Reque, Jequetepeque, Chicama, Fortaleza, Pativilca, Huaura, Chancay, Chillá¢án, Caá¤áete and Camana rivers have an almost constant volume during the year showing remarkable freshets from December to March.The Santa is the most copious river running down up to 370 KM and it has an annual rate between three and five million cubic meters.Another important river is the Rimac which originates in the Ticlio Snow Capped Mountain over 5,000 m.a.s.l. and which has the rivers Santa Eulalia, by its right bank, and the Yuracmayo or Rio Blanco by its left bank as tributary rivers. The Rimac river forms a very large valley in which settles down Lima and Callao urban population. In this watershed, there are thirteen (13) hydroelectric power plants using waters from the Rimac river and its tributaries from which Huinco, Barbablanca, Moyobamba, Huampani and Pablo Boner with a generation of 600,000 KW/H are among the most remarkable ones.This watershed's longest rivers are the Tambo, 535 KM long and the Colca-Majes-Camana, 450 KM long, a valley located in Arequipa in which the Majes project (irrigation) is being built.The Atlantic hydrographic system is made up by very copious rivers which give their waters to the Atlantic Ocean by means of the Amazonas river crossing the Bolivia and Brasil territories. These rivers have a great volume of water mainly downstream where their rates increase because of the rainfall in the Amazonian plains. These rivers have a long extent as well as a deep and well defined bed and are fast in the Higlands and High Jungle, whereas they wander slowly in the Low Jungle adopting a muddy coloration produced by the clay concentration they carry. Likewise, these rivers form narrow and impressing canyons upstream, and then in their mid run, passing away, they give rise to terraces, which have been used for the settling of population; then downstream, that is, in the Low Jungle or Omagua, there are a lot of lakes or "cochas" and meanders. Almost all of the rivers are navigable, being these the most used conveying mean in the Peruvian jungle. The 1,800 KM long Maraá¤áá¢án river is one of the most important. The Ucayali is formed by the confluence of the Tambo and Urubamba rivers with 3,000 KM in lenght. Another important river of this watershed is the Huallaga which originates in the Huascacocha lagoon in the eastern slope of the Andes.Finally, we have the Amazonas river which has a longitude of 713 KM in the peruvian side, its watershed covers the 70% of the national territory, and the Madre de Dios and Putumayo rivers are added to this basin.The Titicaca Lake's watershed system is made up by short lenght but plentiful rivers which have an irregular regime and register floods in the areas near to the lake. The Huancane, Ramis, Coata and Ilave are the most important rivers of this watershed and the Desaguadero river moves water from this lake to the Poopo lake in the southern Republic of Bolivia.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
