Geography and water security study of the irregular occupation growth in a water catchment in Caxias do Sul, southern Brazil

Abstract

Irregular occupations are a contemporary urban problem that affect the social and environmental order of cities around the world. This issue is even worse when it occurs in environmentally vulnerable areas that need to be protected, such as catchments for public supply. In order to intervene in this problem, it is necessary to know the dynamics of the occupation in such catchments. Thus, the objective of this work was to identify the main urbanization expansion frontlines in the Faxinal catchment, in the municipality of Caxias do Sul, southern Brazil, as well as to characterize the irregular occupation in its interior. In the areas of irregular residential development, information was collected from a sample of the population, through a semi-structured interview; as well as the mapping of the occupation through the evolution of land use and coverage using satellite images. The information obtained in the survey formed a database, whose answers were analyzed statistically. Among the results, it was evidenced that some people chose that area as a second home, for leisure, but the majority of the dwellers has low income and lives in the irregular areas due to a lack of opportunity. Still, a large part of the irregular residential development has grown over preservation areas, contributing to the degradation of the surface water and being a menace to public water security. The results indicate the need to implement public policies to minimize impacts and maintain the environmental sustainability of the region.