Cadeia causal da degradação de nascentes na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Gramame - Paraíba

Abstract

The river Gramame’shydrographic basin – which supplies 70% of the population in the metropolitan area of João Pessoa-PB and several riverside communities – has a significant number of sources located in Pedras de Fogo-PB. This paper presents the results of a study conducted around three of the said sources: one located in the peri-urban area (Cacimba da Rosa) and another two located in the rural area (Nova Aurora and Fazendinha), due to the environmental and management problems that occur there. The study’s methodology is inspired on the application of the causal chain matrix as a step that followed the socioeconomic and environmental diagnosis of the areas around the sources. In order to do so, we identified and classified the main environmental and water management problems in that area: the conflicts for the use of water; the socioeconomic level and the sources of pollution, via exploratory walks and photographic records. These problems were analyzed according to the technical, managerial, political-social and cultural-economic causes – setting up the causal chain matrix for each of them. The analysis of each matrix revealed that the conflicts over the water use are presented as priority problem 1 with an increasing trend; the socioeconomic level is presented as a priority issue 2 and with stability tendency; and the sources of pollution are a priority issue 3 with an increasing trend in the areas around the three sources studied. We have also proved that the causal chain matrix is a useful tool to the formulation and implementation of public policies on conservation of natural resources.