Diagnóstico da percepção ambiental no açude Várzea Grande – Picuí/PB.

Abstract

Several changes in the law on water resources in Brazil have enabled changes in the management of these politics. These changes culminated in the creation of River Basin Committees as a way to democratize the system, since the committees are deliberative bodies considered in discussion forums. Since the creation of these committees demand local popular participation, indicates that the performance of local stakeholders in discussions of participation shall entail the addition of environmental perception in this environment. Through awareness of environmental relations are established affectivity of the individual with the media, since such awareness implies the formation of affective positive change can happen on the values assigned by people to each place in its surroundings. From this premise, this paper aims to study the environmental perception of the residents of the surrounding environment of the dam Várzea Grande on the environmental impacts both married Picuí the river as the waters of this reservoir by human actions, affection for the place they live and uses they make of the waters of that dam, which stands as the largest reservoir on the ability of water accumulation not only Picuí, but compared to other eastern sector of the sub-basin of the river Seridó tributary of the Piranhas . The municipality of Picuí / PB is located in north-central state of Paraiba, and Mesoregion Borborema Microregion Seridó eastern Paraiba. The methodological process includes field work in the biennium 2009-2010, questionnaires to residents of the surrounding environment of the dam Várzea Grande, based on a script of 24 (twenty four) issues, data collection, photographs, readings of works reference. The results indicate that a significant proportion of respondents has personal relationships with their environment, which supports the initiative of popular participation in actions to improve environmental quality and management of water resources. According to a study and developed from the analysis of respondents' answers and observations made in situ, the results show that there is damage to the river Picuí and the waters of the Várzea Grande reservoir due to the action and human occupation on the banks of that river and the consequent emission of effluents, but it is clear the intention of riverine (direct dependents of the dam) to pursue strategies to reduce these impacts. Thus, there is need to implement a management system to control the various processes of degradation of both the marginal areas, as the river itself Picuí and educational campaigns (environmental education) are widely used in community awareness, encouraging community participation in management public of natural resources they are entitled, among them water.