WATER QUALITY OF THE JUNDIAÍ RIVER (SÃO PAULO STATE, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL): THE NEED FOR INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT

Abstract

In one of the most industrialized regions of Brazil, the Jundiaí River Basin suffers from problems of water resource availability, due principally to environmental degradation. The upper limit of surface-water availability has been surpassed, leading to water reversion of the Atibaia River Basin to meet the water demand of Jundiaí County. The transposition of rivers only transfers scarcity from one point to another without addressing its causes. In the case of the Jundiaí River, the poor water quality due to low treatment levels of urban sewage, allied to other factors such as lack of planning, inadequate land use and irregular land occupation, contribute to reduce surface-water availability. The water quality patterns of the Jundiaí River are lower than legally permitted, even though it is largely classified in the least stringent class. Using data available in reports and surveys from various governmental agencies, the paper shows the general characterization of the Jundiaí River Basin Catchment, followed by comparative water analysis over three years, which involve two different periods: before and after the construction of the Jundiaí municipal sewerage treatment plant. The results stress the need for integrated management, in which all of the counties should cooperate in the recuperation of water quality in the basin as a whole, in the context of the parallel problems that influence the degradation of environmental quality.