Transcript
Sesmaria River - Challenges for a greater participation of stakeholders
R.C.N Oliveira*, R.P Campos**, C.L Castro***
* Nilo Peçanha Street 110/405 – Ingá, Niterói, RJ, Brazil, ZIP CODE 24210-480 –
[email protected]
** Nilo Peçanha Street 110/405 – Ingá, Niterói, RJ, Brazil, ZIP CODE 24210-480
[email protected]
*** Quatis-Floriano Road ,2657, Quatis,RJ,Brazil, ZIP CODE 27420-000 -
[email protected]
Keywords: Environmental Education; Hydrographic Basins; Social Participation
ABSTRACT - Water resources in the Southeast region of Brazil are being subjected to increasing damages due to pollution, soil erosion and river canalization that threaten the resilience of the ecosystem and may collapse the supply of cities such as Rio de Janeiro. Other aggravating factors are increasing soil impermeabilization and destruction of the original Atlantic Forest. Year by year, the number of floods grows, causing severe impacts in urban areas. The city of Resende important industrial and military center was grievously affected by the floods of Sesmaria River in the year of 2010. The goal of this work is to propose a bigger participation of the local population, especially the inhabitants of riparian zones, in the defense of our natural resources. We expect that through an educational and multiplying process we can turn a passive society in a defender of the environment and of the constitutional rights.
Introduction
Brazil is a tropical country, characterized historically for its fauna, flora and hydric resources richness. The rain regime which is subordinate mostly with the high precipitation was the determinant factor since the discovery the hydric resources was understand as inexhaustible. Through the centuries, with the vertiginous growing of the population, the incontrollable growing of the cities, the advance of the agricultural borders, the increasing needs of energy and a water transposition for the human supply, deep alterations were introduced on the geomorphology and on the use of the soil of ours drainage basins. One of the basins that were affected the most by these changes was the Basin of Paraiba do Sul River. This river is one of the most important streams of Brazil. Three states of great economic value and population density are bathed by Paraiba do Sul: Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. Its strategic importance calls for the need of preservation of its drainage basin and its affluent including the Sesmaria River, picture 1.
The Sesmaria River begins at the county of Sao Jose do Barreiro in the state of Sao Paulo and has its mouth in the county of Resende in the state of Rio de Janeiro. By crossing more than one state, the Sesmaria River is considered federal domain and protected by a complex legal framework originated in laws of the Brazilian imperial period. Those laws should ensure their integrity and preservation of the riparian vegetation. However, the city of Resende important industrial and military center was grievously affected by the floods in the year of 2010, pictures 2 and 3.
Picture 1 Location of the drainage basin of Sesmaria River. Source:Jacob,2013.
Picture 2 and 3 Damages caused by the rain of 2010. Source: Civil Defense of Resende.
Works and the integration with public entities
The damages caused by the rain provoked an instability in Sesmaria River banks. Edifications and bridges were affected, prompting an adoption for emergency works that were later contested as for their efficiency and the constructive methods that were adopted, picture 4 and 5.
Picture 3 and 4 Construction executed in Rio. Source: Author and Civil Defense of Resende.
One of the main problems that we identified was the execution of works without the necessary studies and the lack of integration with others public entities or with the Committee of the Basin of Paraiba do Sul River. No attention was paid to the 1997 Law n. 9.433 that established the National Police of Hydric Resources. This law, that allowed important instruments for a model of participative gestation and preservation of the hydric resources, was not properly considered, repeating past mistakes. Therefore, despite of relying on the efficient and elaborate legal framework, into practice the interventions applied in Brazil rivers continue to apply methods of the past. Decisions are quickly made by few people without the necessary discussions about the future of our rivers and always have as target the construction and artificialization of the hydric body. The consequences of alterations has been felt in the Basin of Sesmaria River through the centuries. They present a situation which clearly demonstrates that structural countermeasures for the control of floods and preservation of the river is not enough. The actual degradation of Sesmaria River calls for the adoption of non-structural measures based on the integration of efforts between the public entities, the Committee of the Basin. It is necessary to create a project of environmental education that affects the students, the families of the region especially those who live in riparian zones. It is necessary to make the river come as closer as possible to its natural state. It is also necessary to preserve and defend the basin's hydric resources through consistent educational proposals. It is known that environmental education is a process of continuous learning that contributes to solidify values and actions for the society awareness and for the preservation of the environment. The society participation is fundamental in the construction of the future and a environmental education is the key to change the relation between nature and men. According to the law 9.795/99, environmental education involves the promotion of a pedagogic process that favors the construction of social values, knowledge, abilities and attitudes focused on the conquer of socio-environmental sustainability and the improvement of life quality.
Results and Conclusions
The goal of this work is to propose a bigger participation of local population, especially the inhabitants of riparian zones in the defense of our natural resources. We expect that trough an educational and multiplying process we can turn the passive society in a defender of the environment and of the constitutional rights. It is understood as fundamental the use of tools that provokes participative action of the society in the preservation of the basin, such as:
Implementation of a riparian vegetation recuperation project, with distinct methodology for urban and rural areas;
Community actions for the recuperation of Permanent Preservation Areas (APP);
Insertion of amateur fishers, bird watchers and turistic guides in educational projects;
Stimulation of the awareness of the concept of river basin in schools, through workshops with researchers and ambientalists;
Reinforce the bonds between the Council and rural landowners, in order to facilitate the demarcation and preservation of APP lands;
Streghten the recreational use of Sesmaria River, supporting ecotourism in fountainheads and waterfalls;
Promote the effective implementation of sanitation plans from cities that contribute to the river basin
The utilization of those tolls by the Council and the public entities together shall be able to assure the preservation of hydric resources and to improve the safety and quality of life of the population.
References
BARLOW.M.(2013). Jornal O GLOBO, entrevista Revista Amanhã.
BRIERLEY,G.J.; FRYIRS, K.A.(2005). Geomorphology and River Management – Applications of the River Styles Framework.
JACOB.A.C.P. (2013). Requalificação fluvial como instrumento de minimização do risco de inundações na bacia do rio sesmaria. Dissertação de Mestrado- COPPE/UFRJ.RJ.
OLIVEIRA.R.C.N.; POSSATI.R.C.;CASTRO.C.L.(2013). Preservation of rivers through environmental education. Seventh World Environmental Education Congress, Marrakesh.
OLIVEIRA,R.C.N.(2011) Caracterização das Áreas de Domínio da União e das Faixas Marginais de Proteção apoiado por Modelação Matemática–Estudo de Caso: Médio Rio Paraíba do Sul. Dissertação de Mestrado-POLI/UFRJ.RJ.
WORSTER.D.(2013). From an Age of Abundance to Age of Vulnerability. Simpósio Diálogo Brasil-EUA em História Ambiental, PPGHIS,UFRJ.
