ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS AND QUALITY OF SURFACE WATERS IN THE HYDROGRAPHIC BASIN OF THE CURU RIVER - CEARÁ - BRAZIL

Abstract

Since 1932, the Curu River watershed has received assistance from the Federal and the State government. It stands out among other Ceara watersheds and has been the first to implement the irrigated perimeter system (1975) and also to organise a Watershed Committee (1996). Nowadays, it has serious environmental problems related to the effects of inadequate use of the natural resources. Thus, the objective of this investigation was to analyse physico-chemical and microbiological parameters in sections of rivers of the Curu basin, using Resolution nº 357 (CONSELHO NACIONAL DE MEIO AMBIENTE, 2005) as the main reference. In the field, the main potential factors in the degradation of surface waters in the watershed were identified through the check list method, and 15 sampling stations in river sections were defined and located geographically. Five collections of water samples were taken and analyzed in the laboratory over a period of one year (feb./2003 to mar./2004). During this study, it was observed that the degradation of water resources increases with economic and demographic development of the Curu basin, because of the devastation of the original vegetation and the contamination of the surface water with draining from urban and rural activities.