PHYSIOGRAPHIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE OLHOS D’ÁGUA WATER BASIN IN FEIRA DE SANTANA/BA: GIS APPLIED TO ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

The Olhos D’água creek is one of the main tributaries of the Jacuípe river and suffers an intense process of environmental degradation due to the misuse of both the soil around it and its water resources. Its distribution in an important area in the transition from the so called Recôncavo region to the arid lands of Bahia favored the occupation of the interior zone of the State which dates back to the founding of the Feira de Santana municipality. This work aims to characterize the physiography of the Olhos D’água basin to support the environmental planning as well as the management and conservation of natural resources present in the region. The results indicate that the basin has a high hydrologic density and high capacity of watershed drainage, showing no indices pointing to susceptibility to flooding, but still needs to be analyzed from the perspective of the specific use and occupation of land around it (area impermeabilization and concentration of homes on the basin banks) and also considering the need of more detailed climate studies, since it is located in an area subject to rainfall irregularities.