Valoração de danos de inundações em três capitais da Amazônia brasileira.

Abstract

The Amazon region presents high levels of precipitation, with intense events that might be a problem in cities that are not able to deal with it. Amongst Amazon’s most rainy capitals (Manaus – AM, Macapá – AP and Belém – PA), Extreme Events of Precipitation – EEP are common and cause damage to the population exposed to inundations. The losses might be presented in different types and causa disturbances to society’s life quality. To analyze negative impacts caused by this problem might help on the decision-making process about investments that will bring improvements to those cities’ inhabitants. The occurrence of EEP was checked by doing a research between National Meteorology Institute – INMET and news registered on the local media, to estimate the losses on the cities. With that data, a value was estimated that represents the damages caused by inundations in houses located on slum areas, using the Water Footprint Index – IPA and the Environmental Average Material Monetary Assessment – AMA methodology. For the period between 1999 and 2018, 31 events were found in Manaus, 15 in Macapá and 26 in Belém, all of them strongly influenced by Intertropical Convergence Zone – ITCZ and by El Niño Southern Oscillation - ENOS. In each city was measured the accumulation of water after rainfall, in order to calculate IPA, which resulted in a value of 0,001681, that was used to calculate AMA for each city. Then, the value of losses was estimated on R$19 billion for Manaus, R$ 2 billion for Macapá and R$42 billion for Belém. It is important to emphasize that those values represent only 1% of the most extreme precipitations and considers only residences located on slum areas, where most of its families have a maximum income of one (1) minimum wage. Therefore, the methodology of IPA and AMA damage assessment is relevant, for it serves as an indicative of the population’s losses, focusing on the portion that has lower purchasing power and lives on areas that usually have infrastructure deficiencies. Hence studies alike are needed since they draw attention to the society’s problems with inundations.