Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761
The urban area of the Verde River Basin and the environmental impacts caused
by the urbanization of Ponta Grossa – PR – Brasil
A área urbana da bacia do rio Verde e os impactos ambientais provocados pela
urbanização de Ponta Grossa - PR – Brasil
DOI:10.34117/bjdv6n11-280
Recebimento dos originais:08/10/2020 Aceitação para publicação:13/11/2020
Gilson Campos Ferreira da Cruz PhD in Geography
Department of Geosciences / State University of Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil Rua Joaquim Procópio de Souza e Castro, 32. Ponta Grossa. Paraná. Brasil
E mail: gilsoncfcruz@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The goal of the present paper was to search for elements to understand how the urban growth and the urbanization process of a city cause environmental impacts in a hydrographic basin on which it develops. In order to reach the goal, several methodological procedures and research techniques were defined to identify the environmental impacts present in the urban part of the Verde River hydrographic basin, caused by the development of the city of Ponta Grossa, Paraná State, Brazil. The growth of the city over the Verde River basin has been occurring since its inception, initially in the sub-basins of Pilão de Pedra stream and Lageado Grande stream, later in Francelina stream, as well as directly on the Verde River. The identified environmental impacts range from the presence of rubbish on the banks and riverbed, to sewage dumped directly into the streams and into the river. The situation found in the three urbanized streams is worrisome, but the impacts found directly on the larger Verde River are more alarming, as they indicate a tendency to transform at least part of the river into an open sewer, due to pollution resulting from the impacts of urban growth and urbanization.
Keywords: Hydrographic Basin, Environmental Impact, Environment, Pollution.
RESUMO
O objetivo do presente trabalho foi de buscar elementos para entender como o crescimento urbano e a processo de urbanização de uma cidade provocam impactos ambientais em uma bacia hidrográfica sobre a qual se desenvolve. Para alcançar o objetivo, foram definidos vários procedimentos metodológicos e técnicas de pesquisa, que permitissem identificar os impactos ambientais presentes na parte urbana da bacia hidrográfica do rio Verde, provocados pelo desenvolvimento da cidade de Ponta Grossa, estado do Paraná, Brasil. O crescimento da cidade sobre a bacia do rio Verde vem ocorrendo desde o início do seu surgimento, inicialmente nas sub-bacias do arroio Pilão de Pedra e do arroio Lageado Grande, posteriormente do arroio Francelina e assim como diretamente no rio Verde. Os impactos ambientais identificados vão desde a presença de lixo nas margens e no leito do rio, até esgoto inatura despejado diretamente nos arroios e no rio. A situação encontrada nos três arroios urbanizados é preocupante, porém os impactos encontrados diretamente no rio Verde, que é de maior porte, são mais preocupantes, pois indicam uma tendência de transformação, de pelo menos parte do rio em um esgoto a céu aberto, devido a poluição resultante dos impactos do crescimento urbano e urbanização.
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 1 INTRODUCTION
The relationship between human being and the environment in which it lives in can be analyzed and observed in different ways, in space and over time. Most of the time, man leaves marks that remain for a long time in the natural landscape, which, from the perspective of geography, assumes the condition of artificial landscape or geographical landscape.
Looking at the use and occupation of land in a hydrographic basin, we realize how the relationship between man and nature occurs, especially regarding the impacts on rivers and vegetation. For the present paper, a watershed is understood as the drainage area of a region, delimited by water dividers that separate it from other drainage areas and where all the precipitation that happens flows to its center, which may contain a river or just a valley (TUCCI, 1997).
The Verde River basin in Ponta Grossa - PR, fits the concept presented, with a particularity, which is that part of the basin is occupied by the urban area of the city, since the first occupation of the region. This urban area of the city, which occupies the watershed, is the area of study of this research.
The city of Ponta Grossa is located according to Cruz (1999), in Parana Eastern Center geographic mesoregion, located on the Second Plateau, on the coordinates 25 º 05 '42' 'S; 50 º 09 '43' 'W, with an average elevation of 975 meters. The total area of the city is 2,025.697 km², and the occupied urban area is 917.2 km², where more than 97% of the total population live (IPARDES, 2020). The urban area is the result of the occupation process that occurred in the region and in the city that, according to Cruz (2009) happened spontaneously, that is, without proper planning, the first master plan only happened from 1967 onwards. From the earliest moments of the formation of the city, the center of Ponta Grossa was built, partly on the springs of some of the affluents of the left bank of the Verde River, and then the city developed along three axes, in the North, South, East, along the water dividers, where the main circulation routes were opened.
By the year 1900 the eastern portion of the city was known as Potreiro de Uvaranas or Colonia Uvaranas, which was divided into several farms, that later gave rise to the neighborhood and to the villages that became the region. At the beginning of the occupation of the land, the city center was more than 5 km from the Verde River, however today the urbanization has already surpassed the river and the occupation is already with its limits to more than 7 km from the city center (MILÉO, MARTINS E STASIAK, 1986).
The main link between the city center and the Uvaranas district in the east is General Carlos Cavalcanti Avenue, which in certain sections is on a watershed between Olarias stream and Pilão de Pedra stream basins, one of the tributaries of the Verde River. The settlement occurred without planning, largely due to the region's attractions, such as the Jockey Club, where horse races were taking place, and the army barracks that were installed in the region, as well as due to the low slope
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 relief, favorable to the development of housing expansion, which enabled the emergence of the Neves neighborhood in 1967 (GOMES, 2009).
From the 1967 municipal master plan CODEM (1967) and its consolidation, the development of the Uvaranas neighborhood, in the middle of the Verde River basin, begins to go through a new phase of occupation of its lands, with the construction of the housing March 31, as a result of real estate speculation destined for the population with lower purchasing power, the emergence of new neighborhoods and nuclei happens in this region and soon after comes the Dal Col housing complex with 187 housing units, David Federmann with 197 housing units, and Rio Verde with a larger number totaling 770 units in 1981 in addition to the consolidation of old villages, such as Jardim Paraiso, among others.
The environmental impacts caused by the human being, refer to all actions that result in some form of degradation of terrestrial and aquatic environment, in the most different dimensions.
In Brazil, the pollution of watercourses has been considerably aggravated by the increase of solid urban waste and industrial activity. Also unplanned land use, deforestation and mining, has increasingly eroded, silting the rivers and tributaries of the most different types of watershed. These actions and factors, added to the occurrence of precipitation, tend to significantly impact rivers and streams (GUERRA e CUNHA, 2001).
Urbanization and urban growth are directly related to the environmental impacts that the formation of cities causes on the environment. Vegetation removal, soil sealing, and river silting are some of the transformations that result from the process.
According to Luz et all (2020) the loss of environmental quality is evident in the river Claro basin region in the interior of São Paulo, due to the expansion of agricultural and urban boundaries without planning, based on a study carried out to identify areas of environmental vulnerability. in the region.
The human activities developed in cities, necessary for the development and maintenance of life also result in environmental impacts directly or indirectly, as in the case of commercial, transportation, and industrial activities.
However, two consequences of the emergence of cities and their population which has a major impact on river basins, are the production of solid waste and sewage.
When solid waste and sewage are not properly collected and properly disposed of, the result is pollution of the valley bottoms and rivers, which is the fate of everything that is improperly disposed of in the urban environment, transported by the wind or rain.
The goal of the research was to identify and analyze the impacts of urbanization and urban growth of the city of Ponta Grossa in the Verde River basin.
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 2 MATERIAL AND METHODS
2.1 STUDY AREA
The urban portion of the Verde River Basin constitutes the study area of this research.
For the production of cartograms, data, satellite images and cartographic base maps of different institutions were used. (IBGE, 2019, TUCCI, 1997, ITCG, 2020, PREFEITURA, 2020).
The Verde River Basin is located between the UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) coordinates 581672m / 7226413m and 603729m / 7220512m, and the urban portion of the basin is between the coordinates 583653m / 591765m, and 7230485 / 7224147m (Figure 1).
Figure 1 Study area location.
Org.: From the author.
According to Barreto (2016), from the geological point of view, we will find in the Verde River Basin rock from the Itararé Group, consisting of shales and gray siltstones, whitish sandstones, diamictites, rhythmites, reddish coarse sandstones, Paraná Group with the formations Ponta Grossa and Furnas, the first one formed by shales and gray siltites, locally bituminous, with alternation of very fine, whitish sandstones and the second by medium to coarse sandstones with cross and horizontal stratifications.
For Cruz (2009), the climate in the Verde River watershed is the Cfb type, always humid temperate zone, with more than five annual frosts. The average annual temperature is between 16ºC and 25ºC and the winds are predominant NE in the summer and NW in the winter. In relation to rainfall, the average annual rainfall characteristic of this climate is between 1400 mm and 1800 mm, with a
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 driest period from June to August (average 250 mm to 350 mm), and wettest period from December to February (500 mm to 600 mm).
The Verde River runs through a large area before being impacted by the urban area of Ponta Grossa. Due to the properties it passes through, it suffers the inherent impacts of rural activities, however it is used for water supply, for economic activities in the countryside and for leisure, as it has numerous slabs along its course (Figure 2).
Figure 2 Verde River a few meters from the beginning of the urban perimeter of Ponta Grossa – PR.
Source: personal collection.
2.2 METHODOLOGICAL PROCEDURES
To achieve the proposed goal, this research was developed in two distinct moments, the first comprising the literature review which allowed obtaining relevant information and data the research, and the second dedicated to the recognition of the study area, with the identification of the impacts of urbanization, photographic record in the basin and the mapping of the occupation process.
For the location and recognition of the study area, a field practice was conducted, observing along the perimeter of the Verde River Basin, for photographic recording in the water dividers and in the interior of the basin, in the urban area, as well as identifying and analyze the environmental impacts.
The delimitation of the Verde River watershed was made using canvas, using Arcgis 10.3, on a hydrographic layer and level curves, with 5 m equidistance, from the cartographic base of the city hall.
2.3 MATERIAL
A mosaic of cbers images was used, which allowed to identify the different types of land use. Arcgis Software, whose license is from the Geosciences department, to which is linked the Laboratory of Climatology and Environmental Studies, in which the research was developed.
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 Cartographic base of Ponta Grossa City Hall, for extraction of the municipality's hydrographic network.
Gps Etrex Garmin to determine environmental impact points and identify geographical position.
Fujifilm X-A1 photographic camera for photographic documentation of environmental impacts and general aspects of the watershed.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The information and data obtained from the bibliographic research allowed to establish the state of the art regarding the relationship between urbanization, land use, and the Verde River watershed.
The elaboration of the mapping of the area of the Verde River watershed that was occupied by the urban area of Ponta Grossa, allowed to understand how the percentage of occupation has been increasing considerably (Figure 3).
Figure 3 Land use in the urbanized area of the Verde River Basin.
Source: cartographic basis of research.
The urbanization process of the Verde River basin begins in the center of the urban area, where the Pilão de Pedra stream, one of the three urban tributaries of the basin, is born. Then, as the city
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 developed to the north, the springs of Lajeado Grande stream were occupied. The headwaters of the Francelina stream are occupied as the urbanization process progresses to the east.
Regarding the impacts caused by this effect, we can mention the soil sealing caused by the constructions and asphalt in the streets, which according to Diedrichs (2009), the soil sealing, which occurs during the urbanization process is the main responsible for the increase in the amount and speed of surface water runoff, due to roofs, asphalt pavement and paving of backyards, sidewalks and squares.
The flow that previously happened slowly and naturally, ceases to infiltrate and starts to flow over the paved areas, increasing its speed and reducing the concentration time of the basin.
According to Casseti (1995) the process of spatial occupation in urbanized areas is differentiated, depending on the economic value, defined by the greed of capitalism. Thus the occupation of unstable and valley bottom areas, very close to the watercourses are common, with strong environmental impacts (Figure 4 and Figure 5).
Figure 4 The waterproofing coming very close to the Verde River.
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 Figure 5 Slope occupation in the Lajeado Grande stream sub-basin.
Source: personal collection.
The impact of waste and sewage was found in all streams of the Lajeado Grande, Pilão de Pedra and Francelina sub-basins, as well as in the Verde River (Figure 6, Figure 7, Figure 8 and Figure 9).
Figure 6 Garbage found in Verde River.
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 Figure 7 Garbage found in Pilão de Pedra stream.
Source: personal collection.
Figure 8 Garbage found a few meters of Francelina stream, next to the wooden bridge.
Source: personal collection.
Figure 9 Sewer pipe in the Pilão de Pedra stream.
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 Regarding the sewage system in the urban area of the Verde River Basin, it is observed that a large percentage has been met with the sewage treatment system, according to the cartographic base provided by the city, but there are still small areas where there is no sewage treatment network, which implies contamination points of the soil, streams and rivers (Figure 10).
Figure 10 Wastewater collection system in the urban area of the Verde River Basin and Treatment Station.
Source: cartographic basis of research.
Regarding the sewage treatment and lifting stations, the situation is worrying, because when analyzing their distribution throughout the urban area, it was found that in the urban portion of the Verde River basin, with 3 sub-basins and one rich drainage network with numerous water dividers, there is no lifting station and only 1 treatment station at one end of the basin (Figure 11).
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 Figure 11 Wastewater collection system, wastewater treatment plant and lifting stations in the urban area of Ponta Grossa – PR.
As if it were not enough all the environmental impact observed in the open in the main river and its tributaries, another situation was identified as dangerous as the part of the streams that was channeled in the stream Francelina and Pilão de Pedra, which hides under the ground all the environmental damage they are suffering. In the places where it was possible to see Pilão de Pedra stream in the city center, today there is only a paved street (Figure 12) and in the case of Francelina stream the backyard of the houses is over the stream (Figure 13).
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 Figure 12 Channeled part of the Pilão de Pedra stream.
Source: personal collection.
Figure 13 Channeled part of the Francelina stream.
Source: personal collection.
4 CONCLUSION
The environmental impacts that occur in the river basins occupied by the cities, in most cases are related to solid waste, sewage, and siltation of rivers and lakes.
Finally, what was observed with the research is that there is a great pressure on the Verde River basin due to the direct impacts that it has been suffering and the indirect impacts that its tributaries suffer with the sub basins.
Braz. J. of Develop.,Curitiba, v. 6, n. 11, p.87916-87934, nov. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 The process of urbanization through which the Verde River basin has been passing, even partially, has caused damage to the main river and 3 of its tributaries, its banks, and riparian forest, reducing the quality of life of the vast majority of those who depend on its natural conditions.
The Verde River basin has been suffering environmental impacts over the 300 years of occupation in the region and most considerable in the last 195 years, since the emancipation of the municipality. However it was in the last 50 years that the urban perimeter of Ponta Grossa got directly on the Verde River and since then the impacts have only been increasing.
The data show that if nothing is done, the Verde River will end up like its tributaries the Pilão de Pedra, Francelina, and Lajeado Grande stream, true open sewers and garbage dumps. The 3 streams are polluted from their sources to their mouth, transferring part of this pollution directly to the Verde River.
The environmental impacts that the urban part of the Verde River basin, which includes 3 of its tributaries, have been suffering include pollution by garbage and sewage, with the presence of animals such as rats and cockroaches, siltation, removal of riparian forest, soil waterproofing, which accelerates surface runoff velocity, which can cause flooding.
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