GEO Brasil - UNEP

the state of environmental disasters
the state of the environment in Brazil
The sudden inundations are triggered
by intense and concentrated rainfall,
over rough terrain regions, and are
characterised by causing sudden and
violent elevations of discharges, which
flow rapidly and intensely, leading to
overflow This phenomenon is usually
a surprise due to its violence and low
predictability, which requires a
complex monitoring
The overflows are frequent in badly
planned cities or when they grow
explosively, making it difficult to carry
out rainwater drainage works The
overflows in cities usually cause more
material and human damage then
flash floods, due to the large areas
affected, normally during long
periods, as there is not an appropriate
drainage system in most urban areas,
mainly those cut by rivers and
streams
It is common to have a combination
of both phenomena – flash flood and
overflow – in urban rough areas, as
corresponding to one percent of the
Brazilian population, with records of
89 deceased and 16,045 unsheltered
people, US$119 million in federal
resources spent on assistance
activities, in addition to the amount
from state and municipal resources
(SEDEC/MI)
44 Slides
Slides are phenomena caused by the
sliding of solid materials, such as soil,
rocks, vegetation and/or construction
materials down dropping grounds,
referred to as slopes, declivities or
cliffs
Although in other countries slides can
be caused by other factors, such as
tremors or snow melting by
volcanoes, in Brazil those mass
gravitation moves are related to water
infiltration and slope soil infiltration
For that reason, slides are notably
seasonal in Brazil and are closely
related to periods of intense and
concentrated rainfall
In Brazil, the chaotic occupation of
urban slopes is the main cause of
slides, which result in important
human damage, including casualties,
in addition to material and
Among the slides occurred in Brazil,
with a large number of casualties and
great material losses, the ones which
happened in the State of Rio de
Janeiro, in the mountain cities of
Petrópolis, Teresópolis and Friburgo
are highlighted, when there was
intense rainfall in the region for a long
period It is important to mention the
slides occurred in Santos (State of São
Paulo) and the slides in the
surrounding areas of Salvador (State
of Bahia) and Recife (State of
Pernambuco), due to urban
settlement in vulnerable areas Given
the large number of casualties caused
by the slides, the following
occurrences are highlighted:
Caraguatatuba/São Paulo –
March/1967 – 200 deceased;
Contagem/Minas Gerais,
Barraginha Slum – February/1971
– 64 deceased;
(*)Petrópolis/Rio de Janeiro –
February/1988 – 171 deceased;
(*)Rio de Janeiro/Rio de Janeiro
– February/1988 – over 30
deceased;
Salvador/Bahia – June/1989 –
around 100 deceased;
Salvador/Bahia – June/1995 – 55
deceased;
Recife/Pernambuco – April/1996
– 66 deceased
(*) Munasinghe et al 1991
45
Forest Fires
happens in Rio de Janeiro (State of
Rio de Janeiro), Belo Horizonte (State
of Minas Gerais) and in cities built up
in the mountains In coastal cities,
developed at low heights, such as
Recife (State of Pernambuco) and the
cities in Baixada Fluminense (region
in the State of Rio de Janeiro), the
coincidence with high tides
aggravates the problem
In 2000 alone, around 17 million
people were affected by floods,
environmental damages, and serious
social and economic losses The slides
occurring in occupied slope areas
normally happen in cut slopes,
landfills and natural slopes aggravated
by human action
The geographical distribution of slope
slides in Brazil has been affecting
mostly the States of Rio de Janeiro,
São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Minas
Gerais, Bahia and Pernambuco
Forest fires usually occur more
frequently and intensely during dry
seasons, and they are closely related
to the reduction in environmental
humidity
Daily monitoring by satellites has
shown that most heat points represent
“burns” The burns occur in deforested
areas, therefore they burn degraded
or non-degraded pastures, secondary
forests and plantations The burns are
a result of intentional fire, associated
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