Estimativa da pegada hídrica da população urbana da cidade de Pombal – PB.

Abstract

The Water Footprint of an individual or a community is defined as the total amount of fresh water that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community. Currently, researchers using the water footprint as an indicator in order to contribute to its improvement and quantify the direct and indirect consumption of water. This study aimed to estimate the direct and indirect consumption of water for the population residing in the urban area of the city of Pombal - PB using the water footprint indicator. The methods used consisted of a critical analysis of the methodology adopted by the Water Footprint Network (WFN); the use of questionnaires dealing with the direct water consumption, food consumption and consumption of industrial goods, necessary to calculate the water footprint of each individual; the use of extended calculator provided by WFN to estimate the value of the indicator; and the use of gvSIG software to spatialization of the results of the indicator. It was observed that the Water footprint term is relatively new and as such has its flaws, possibilities and limitations. Thus, although its increasing expansion and diffusion by many research groups, it has facing harsh criticism from other researchers. However, it is considered that such an indicator can be used as a powerful tool to encourage rationalization of water use and the adoption of practices and consumption patterns that reduce the pressure on water resources. The results indicate that the amount of water footprint for the residents of the urban area of the municipality of Pombal corresponded to 957.10 m³/year/cap, therefore, lower than the global average (1,240 m³/year/cap) and national (1,381 m³/year/cap) in the literature. What was already expected, since it is a medium-sized city whose socio-economic and climate conditions suggest a low direct and indirect consumption of water. The spatial results shown in a thematic map allowed a better understanding and presentation of results, and the identification of neighborhoods with higher and lower water consumption, direct and indirect, in the city.