Multiannual drought overview (2012 - 2018) in the Brazilian semiarid region: hydrological and agricultural impacts and coexistence initiatives

Abstract

The Brazilian Semiarid comprises the driest region in Brazil. Although several public policies are implemented to mitigate the phenomenon, the impacts associated with water scarcity are still quite severe. Given this justification, the article aims to analyze the severity, duration, and spatial extent of the multi-annual drought 2012 - 2018 and compare it to the non-dry recovery cycle of 2018 - 2020, identifying impacts and intrinsic relationships with the decisions made by managers at different levels. For this purpose, platforms are used to monitor the event's progress, impacts, and coexistence measures to mitigate such effects. The Drought Monitor indicates that the peak of greatest severity occurs between 2016 and the beginning of the following year. The exceptional drought, which is the most intense typology, reaches more than 85% of the semiarid territory. The expected impacts at this level indicate widespread water scarcity in the reservoirs. This perspective is confirmed when observing data from the Olho N'água portal of variation of the stored volume. In the same period, the water reserve of the reservoirs of the semiarid Cearense, Potiguar, Paraibano, and Pernambucano reached minimum levels, with records reaching dead volume. To mitigate the succession of impacts caused, decision-makers at the municipal, state, and regional scales use structural measures, among which is the construction of dams, cisterns, well drilling, and water distribution by water trucks. On the other hand, they rarely pay attention to preparing plans for the frequent droughts. Despite advances in management paradigms, the first measures adopted in the 19th century, which consisted of building water infrastructure, are still employed on a large scale. Public policies aim to mitigate already established effects instead of prioritizing proactive management, based on the creation of established triggers from the perspective of forecasting and monitoring the event.