Análise multicritério da vulnerabilidade do serviço de abastecimento urbano de água em município de pequeno porte.

Abstract

The water supply service is still vulnerable in cities throughout Brazil. However, this scenario worsens in small municipalities where the technical team and financial support are weak or reduced, contributing to the delay in the universalization of access proposed by legislation. The difficulties are even more extensive in the semi-arid region of the Northeast, which has a low precipitation rate and low water availability to meet the demand in sufficient quantities. In addition to these natural factors, there are also local conditions that can influence the level of risk of local water shortage to a greater or lesser extent. In this context, this work seeks to study the vulnerability of the water supply service in the urban area of the municipality of Alagoa Grande, located in the semi-arid region of Paraiba and classified as small-scale. The methodology used in this research employs multi-criteria analysis together with the QGIS software to identify the structural, operational, and socioeconomic conditions that exert the greatest influence on the risk of water shortage in the census sectors of the municipality. The results of this work indicated that the central areas where residential centers and a large number of people are located and some peripheral areas where mainly low-income populations with fewer possibilities of using alternative solutions are considered the most critical. It was also observed that elevation and distance to water distribution reservoirs were the criteria that most interfered with the assessment of the risk of water shortage. Given this scenario, the adoption of alternative solutions, such as rainwater harvesting, desalination, and reuse, can be mitigating factors for the damage caused by water shortage. In addition, promoting support programs for low-income communities, developing the Sanitation Plan, updating existing municipal guidelines, and including the population in the planning of actions are measures that greatly contribute to improving water resources management and enabling water availability for the entire population for longer periods.