Environmental diagnosis of the Córrego das Areias microbasin as a contribution to the management of Amazonian water resources

Abstract

In search of instruments that help the public power in decision-making and water management, the basin diagnosis is of fundamental importance, exposing the pressures, the potentials, existing conflicts, as well as the uses established in the watershed. This paper aims to present the environmental diagnosis of the “Córrego das Areias” microbasin, located in the state of Rondônia, northern Brazil, in the Amazon region. To this end, land use and occupation between 2008 and 2019 were evaluated, collections and analyzes of physical-chemical parameters of water were performed for different seasonal periods. The springs’ preservation degree was obtained using macroscopic parameters. The results evidenced an increase of 21.71% in deforestation throughout that period, as well as an increase in areas destined to cattle raising and agriculture. Regarding water quality analyzes, the highest concentrations found were in the dry/full transition period, but within the values ​​established in CONAMA nº357/2005 for class 2 rivers. However, none of the evaluated springs showed a “good” or “excellent” preservation degree. In this context, management measures for mitigating environmental impacts must be introduced in the studied area, such as the recovery of the springs, in order to increase the quality of water resources in the microbasin.