Situação sanitária de rios urbanos. Estudo de caso para o Rio Camarajipe, Salvador-Ba

Abstract

Urban rivers are bodies of water that run through cities, forming part of urban river basins. The great importance of water bodies is evident throughout the history of the world, where the first cities appeared on the banks of rivers until the construction of current urban centers. The degradation of urban rivers is directly linked to the disorderly expansion processes of urbanization, together with the absence of housing policies, thus causing irregular occupations in inappropriate areas, associated with the lack of urban infrastructure. The objective of this work was to evaluate the current sanitary conditions of the Camarajipe River, as well as to learn about its history and interventions that have occurred over the years. The research was conducted through a bibliographical review, in order to enable a better understanding of the topic, and a case study was carried out, making an on-site characterization, and thus, developing a diagnosis of the river's health situation. The Camarajipe river basin, in terms of demographics, is heavily occupied by a low-income population, residents of neighborhoods without urban infrastructure and land use planning, where they were forced to live and occupy inappropriate areas, leading to the degradation of the river with discharges of raw sewage and solid waste into the river. It was noticeable that what is said in Federal and Municipal Laws, regarding the determinations for the protection of the environment and the provision of basic sanitation services, differ from what is seen in the city of Salvador. It is possible to look to cities, where thinking has changed and thus put into practice alternative and sustainable solutions, revitalizing and improving the water quality of their urban rivers.