Abstract

La gesti & oacute;n eficiente del agua no solo requiere soluciones t & eacute;cnicas, sino tambi & eacute;n incorporar las percepciones sociales de las comunidades. En una localidad rural de Chile central, afectada por escasez h & iacute;drica agravada por el cambio clim & aacute;tico y la modificaci & oacute;n del r & eacute;gimen de precipitaciones, se identificaron y priorizaron las necesidades comunitarias relacionadas con el agua y las percepciones sobre el sistema y su funcionamiento. Para ello, se dise & ntilde;& oacute; y aplic & oacute; un cuestionario estructurado en cinco secciones tem & aacute;ticas, con & iacute;tems tipo Likert orientados a evaluar satisfacci & oacute;n, percepciones de equidad y disposici & oacute;n a participar en la mejora del servicio. Los resultados muestran que los conflictos de convivencia, el sobreconsumo e infraestructura deficiente son las principales barreras para la sostenibilidad del sistema h & iacute;drico local. El & Iacute;ndice de Percepci & oacute;n Compuesto (IPC) permiti & oacute; sintetizar y analizar estas percepciones comunitarias, evidenciando una valoraci & oacute;n general moderadamente cr & iacute;tica del sistema y una alta severidad percibida de la escasez de agua. Estos hallazgos destacan la necesidad de fortalecer la gobernanza comunitaria, facilitar espacios de di & aacute;logo y promover la colaboraci & oacute;n como elementos esenciales para avanzar hacia una gesti & oacute;n de cuencas efectiva, inclusiva y resiliente frente al cambio clim & aacute;tico. Efficient water management requires not only technical solutions but also the integration of community perceptions and social dynamics. In a rural locality in central Chile, affected by water scarcity exacerbated by climate change and alterations in precipitation patterns, community needs related to water and perceptions of the system and its functioning were identified and prioritized. To achieve this, a structured questionnaire was designed and administered across five thematic sections, incorporating Likert-scale items to assess satisfaction, perceptions of equity, and willingness to participate in service improvement. The results indicate that interpersonal conflicts, overconsumption, and deficient infrastructure are the main barriers to the sustainability of the local water system. The Composite Perception Index (CPI) enabled the synthesis and analysis of these community perceptions, revealing an overall moderately critical evaluation of the system and a high perceived severity of water scarcity. These findings highlight the need to strengthen community governance, create spaces for dialogue, and promote collaboration as essential components for advancing effective, inclusive, and climate-resilient watershed management.