CLIMATE DISASTER RISK INDEX FOR THE STATE OF PARAÍBA - BRAZIL

Abstract

The article aims to present the Climate Disaster Risk Index (IRDC) for the state of Paraíba, considering the different degrees of socio-environmental vulnerability and areas susceptible to drought and dry spells. The methodological procedures consisted of the geospatial combination of social vulnerability; susceptibility to drought and dry spells; and the frequency of records of climate-related disasters (drought and dry spells) in the homogeneously pluviometric regions of the state. For this purpose, daily rainfall data obtained from the Paraíba Water Management Agency, socioeconomic and infrastructure information from the IBGE, and disaster records from the recognition decrees inventoried on the website of the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development were used. The results obtained indicate that 20% of the municipalities in Paraíba are under the condition of very high IRDC, which when added to the high class, this percentage totals 42% of the municipalities (93 municipalities), spatially concentrated in the most central portion of the territory (Cariri and Curimataú regions of Paraíba) and affecting 23% of the population of the state. These municipalities present similar conditions, such as: the high number of consecutive dry days, restrictive economic conditions, which harm social equity and intensify vulnerability. The identification of the IRDC at the municipal level should be understood as an input for the management of environmental risks and for the expansion of the culture of reducing these risks through actions that can be developed by sectors of civil society and by municipal and state governments.