Salinization at the mouth of the São Francisco River: impacts on the Potengi community, Alagoas, Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18227/1982-8470ragro.v14i0.6455

Keywords:

Health. Potability. Salinity. Water supply.

Abstract

The salinization process at the mouth of the São Francisco River has been caused serious damage to the ecosystem and the quality of life among riverine populations. This study aimed to assess the perception of the riverine populations regarding the effects of water salinization at the mouth of the São Francisco River, and also to analyze the quality of water that is provided to the Potengi community in Piaçabuçu, Alagoas, Brazil. For data collection, semi- tructured interviews were conducted with 22 riverine residents. The analyses of water samples were carried out at four places in the community, in which analyzes of pH, electrical conductivity, determination of salinity, and turbidity of the water were made. It was possible to identify, during the performance of this study, the inefficiency of the public authorities, both concerning the informative and mitigating actions, as the exposure of the population to high levels of sodium and turbid water, leading to changes in the parameters concerning data established by the World Health Organization (WHO). The results revealed that one of the samples analyzed presented a saline level 17 times higher than the limit established by the WHO, and a turbidity index was 15.6 times higher than the technical limit established. Therefore, these changes have affected the health of the community, directly compromising the use of water and the composition of the biota in the region.

Author Biographies

Carla Maria Correia Martins, Mestrado em andamento, Universidade Estadual de Alagoas, UNEAL, Brasil.

Graduada em Geografia Licenciatura pela Universidade Estadual de Alagoas- UNEAL.

Ricardo Barros Silva, Doutorado em andamento em Agronomia, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, UFAL, Brasil.

Formado em Técnico em Agropecuária pela Escola Agrotécnica Federal de Satuba-AL no ano de 2008. Engenheiro Agrônomo e Mestre em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal).

Gleica Maria Correia Martins, Professora - Instituto Federal de Alagoas

Doutora em Produção Vegetal (CECA-UFAL). Mestra em Agricultura e Ambiente (UFAL), com ênfase em Ecologia Botânica. Bióloga, Licenciada em Ciências Biológicas (UFAL). Administradora, Bacharel em Administração (UNEAL). Atuou no Grupo de Estudos Etnobotânicos e Ecológicos, da Universidade Federal de Alagoas, desenvolvendo trabalhos de Etnobiologia, e no Centro de Referência em Recuperação de Áreas Degradadas do Baixo São Francisco, desenvolvendo pesquisas voltadas para o Manejo Sustentável da Caatinga. Desempenhou atividades como Professora Capacitadora no Projeto Desenvolvimento Econômico Solidário dos Territórios da Cidadania de Alagoas (PROEXT/UNEAL), Professora/Coordenadora do curso de Licenciatura em Educação do Campo (PROCAMPO) da Universidade Estadual de Alagoas (UNEAL), e Professora Pesquisadora do Curso Escola da Terra - Aperfeiçoamento Presencial (Universidade Federal de Alagoas - UFAL). Atuou no Laboratório de Recursos Genéticos da UFAL(LARGE), desenvolvendo pesquisas sobre Genômica Vegetal. Atualmente é Professora Substituta do curso de EBTT de Meio Ambiente do IFAL-Campus Penedo.

Downloads

Published

21/09/2020

Issue

Vol. 14 (2020)

Section

Original Scientific Article

License

I declare on my behalf and on behalf of the other authors that I represent in the act of submitting this article, to REVISTA AGRO@MBIENTE ON-LINE that: • 1. The content of the article is the result of original data and not published or submitted to other journals . • 2. In addition to the lead author, all co-authors participated sufficiently in the work to make public their respective responsibilities for the content. • 3. In case of acceptance of the article, the authors agree that the copyright referring to it will become the exclusive property of Revista Agro@mbiente On-line, any reproduction, total or partial, in any other part or means of dissemination is prohibited, printed or electronic, without the prior and necessary authorization being requested and, if obtained, acknowledgments must be made to the Revista Agro@mbiente On-line of the Centro de Ciências Agrárias/UFRR.