Management of the Total Water Footprint and its environmental sustainability in the Camaratuba river sub-basin, located in the state of Paraíba
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2179460X88454Keywords:
Consumption, Scarcity, Pollution, Virtual water, SustainabilityAbstract
The water footprint study, as an indicator that measures consumption patterns over time and space, requires ongoing research, making it a topic of great relevance for natural resource management, since water is a strategic natural resource of great interest to various sectors of society. Thus the main objective of this research is to determine the total water footprint to analyze the level of scarcity, water appropriation and pollution to highlight environmental sustainability in the Camaratuba River Sub-basin located on the coast of Paraíba, for the reference year 2023. In order to calculate the total water footprint in the geographical region indicated, it was required to determine the blue, green and gray components of the main multiple uses of water in different sectors of the region studied. With regard to methodological aspects, this research can be classified as qualitative-quantitative, exploratory and descriptive, because it includes data collection from master plan, mathematical models, as well as a case study. Based on the analysis of the results obtained, it was possible to identify that the irrigation sector accounts for 74.68% of the total water footprint of the sub-basin studied, while basic sanitation requires 19.28% of the available water, meaning that these sectors represent the largest water footprints when compared to the other sectors analyzed. Taking the results as a whole, it can be inferred that the sub-basin studied, for the year 2023, presents a sustainable environmental pattern when analyzed on an annual time scale, since the level of scarcity is 37.90%, the level of water appropriation is 47.18%, the pollution level is 70.04%, and they did not exceed the critical environmental value of 100.00% established as the standard. However, mapping these levels and their environmental sustainability in the Camaratuba River sub-basin in Paraíba will guide public managers in their decision-making and consequently promote actions to strengthen the National Water Resources Management System, whose main goal is to achieve sustainable governance.
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