Desenvolvimento do índice de pobreza hídrica para a bacia hidrográfica do rio Paraíba.

Abstract

The Water Poverty Index is a parameter for the assessment of integrated water resource management, based on physical, social, economic and environmental factors, through of water poverty conceptual framework, made up of Resource, Access, Capacity, Use and Environment components. This work was developed in order to adequate Water Poverty Index methodology to the characteristics of Paraíba River Watershed, besides to solve some limitation inherent to the index. According with the methodology adopted for weighting the index, two weighting employing a principal component related to sustainable development and other principal component related to water resources, were required. Therefore, it has been found that the development of such an index was able to solve the limitations of spatial scale in the level of a watershed, of subjective weighting and of Resource component. The values of Water Poverty Index resulted in a moderate water poverty level throughout the basin, independently on the mode of weighting utilized, being representative of the studied system. Hence, it has been concluded that the Water Poverty Index played its role with effectiveness, favoring an embracing view of the system through a simple approach. Also, the analysis of Water Poverty Index components provides technical support for the decision makers, guiding them on the aspects which should be prioritized in the water resource management.