Urban streams in Petrolina, Pernambuco: environmental degradation and challenges for water management

Abstract

The municipality of Petrolina (PE), is known as a fruit-growing center due to the use of the São Francisco River's waters for irrigation. However, as the city developed, its urban streams began to face increasing anthropogenic pressures, such as irregular occupation of the banks and the discharge of untreated domestic effluents, which significantly contributed to the environmental degradation of these water bodies. For this reason, this study aims to analyze the factors that negatively influence the environmental quality of Petrolina's urban streams, with an emphasis on the Vitória Stream. The research adopted a qualitative, descriptive approach, developed from a literature review of articles, local newspaper reports, and the analysis of official documents and urban planning instruments, including the Federal Constitution (1988), the City Statute, and the municipal Master Plan, as well as field observations in different parts of the city. The results indicate that the current environmental scenario of Petrolina's urban streams is worrying, given that signs of degradation are present in most of these watercourses, especially those that cross areas near residential clusters and irrigated agricultural zones in the municipality's rural areas, where water pollution is exacerbated by the inadequacy of the sewage collection and treatment network in the face of urban expansion. In this context, the need for the implementation of structuring public policies focused on environmental management and the expansion of investments in basic sanitation aimed at the recovery and revitalization of these watercourses becomes evident.