Abstract
São Paulo metropolitan region experienced an acute water crisis between 2013 and 2015. According to the Brazilian and international press, it was due to climatic, anthropogenic, and water management factors. This paper assesses the hydro-climatic characteristics of the crisis by focusing on the Alto-Tietê basin and the headwater of the Piracicaba-Capivari-Jundiaí (PCJ) basin that supply 70% of the water consumed in the metropolis. Based on 16 rain-gauge stations, 5 runoff-gauge stations, and several statistical analyses carried over the 1951–2015 period, this assessment shows that the 2013–2015 hydro-climatic crisis resulted from a large number of days without rain in the north of the Alto-Tietê basin and to less intense precipitation events in the headwaters of the PCJ basin during the austral spring 2013 and the year 2014. It also defines a return period of 98 years for observed river flows in 2014. Despite the rare nature of this hydrological drought, the need for efficient water saving policies is brought forward.
Highlights
Regarding water resources, Brazil has a privileged position
The analysis of the beginning and ending of the dry season shows that the Alto-Tietê basin and the headwater of the PCJ basin are characterized by a dry season extending from April to mid-October (Figure 3a)
Based on the analysis of data from 16 rain-gauge stations and 5 runoff-gauging stations located in the Alto-Tietê basin and the headwaters of the PCJ basin that supply water to São Paulo’s Metropolitan Region (SPMR), we examined the long-term trends of precipitation and runoff records to address the severity of the 2013–2015 drought
Summary
It holds 12% of the world’s freshwater resources and has a water availability of 41,603 m3 /inhabitants/year [1,2]. Surface- and ground-water resources were depleted due to deficient rainy seasons and high temperatures [6,7]. This resulted in urban water supply shortages, massive losses in the 2014 agricultural harvest, and imperiled hydropower generation [7,8]. The water crisis was acute in São Paulo’s Metropolitan Region (SPMR), South America’s largest metropolis, where 10% of Brazilians live (nearly 20 million in 2014) [9] and 17% of the national gross domestic product is produced [1]
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