REMOTE SENSING FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT IN EL SALVADOR: A FOCUS ON WATER BODY DYNAMICS

Speaker: Ana Mirian Villalobos, Ministry of environment and Natural Resources, El SalvadorEl Salvador, a small Central American country is frequently affected by hurricanes from both the Pacific and Atlantic basins, generating significant losses, particularly in agricultural areas near rivers and water bodies. Surface water bodies are indicators of regional environmental variations and climate fluctuations, fundamental for drinking water supply and ecosystem sustainability in El Salvador. This study analyses the spatial and temporal variations of the main lakes, lagoons and reservoirs in the country using Sentinel-2 (S2) satellite images from 2018 to 2023. A methodology based on the calculation of the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and principal component analysis (PCA) was developed to identify and quantify water areas, considering the interference of floating vegetation.