Gestão ambiental integrada de bacias hidrográficas : um diagnóstico multicriterial do alto curso da bacia urbana do Rio Jaguaribe

Abstract

Currently, urban planning and management are characterized as complex governance practices, with particular emphasis on mitigating environmental degradation and addressing the socioeconomic deficiencies affecting segments of the population. In this context, the search for supportive management methodologies that encompass the multifaceted challenges of urban environmental dynamics becomes essential to optimize actions that promote socioeconomic and environmental balance, dimensions traditionally regarded as difficult to integrate. Urban watersheds are now considered particularly suitable units for conducting multicriteria diagnoses, as they allow the consideration of multiple factors and provide an ideal spatial framework for understanding local realities. Accordingly, this study conducts an integrated analysis aimed at producing a multicriteria diagnosis of the urban environment under investigation, using as a case study the upper course of the Jaguaribe River Watershed, which encompasses parts of ten neighborhoods in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. To this end, consolidated methodologies were adapted, incorporating a structure of indicators addressing both environmental and socioeconomic dimensions. The selected environmental variables were the Soil Protection Factor and the General Water Quality of the watershed. For the socioeconomic dimension, available data from the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Environmental Salubrity Indicator (ISA) were used. After weighing the results and establishing a classification structure for valuing the selected indicators, it was found that, due to current land use, the watershed is classified as poorly protected. Regarding the general water quality of the Jaguaribe River, the analysis concluded that, on average, water quality deteriorates by approximately 57% from the source to downstream. The watershed also showed medium human development and low environmental salubrity. Ultimately, the multicriteria diagnosis of these variables revealed that the study area is significantly compromised and currently in a state of imbalance.