The Uruguay river basin under pressure in Brazil: domestic sewage, animal waste, and pesticides

Abstract

The Uruguay River Basin covers an area of ​​approximately 174,500 km² in Brazil, located in the States of Santa Catarina (27%) and Rio Grande do Sul (73%). The objective of the work is to present data related to sewage treatment, the generation of waste in livestock farming, and the use of pesticides in the area covered by the Uruguay River Basin in Brazil, based on consultation of databases made available by the Brazilian government and the scientific literature. It is described that, in 2021, in that region: there were more than 4.7 million inhabitants; 82.5% of domestic sewage generated was released into the environment without adequate treatment; there was a herd of 9.6 million cattle, 10.4 million pigs and 14.2 million chickens, with amounts of excreta generated in their life cycle estimated at, respectively, 469.3 million tons, 20.8 million of tons and 563.7 tons; on 716,186 hectares there were corn plantations and on 4,730,097 hectares, soybeans, where it is estimated that 5,300 and 83,723 tons of pesticides were applied, respectively; in 15 municipalities in Santa Catarina, the presence of pesticides in the water supply was measured; and in 6 micro-regions of the State of Rio Grande do Sul and 5 of Santa Catarina, mortality rates from cancer and suicide, for both sexes, as well as the incidence of congenital anomalies surpassed national rates between 2010 and 2020. The data presented reveal that there are sources of pollution that pose risks to environmental quality and human health in the area covered by the Uruguay River Basin in Brazilian territory.