Impacts of the population affected by the drought in the municipality of Taperoá, Paraíba

Abstract

In semiarid regions, the vulnerability of populations to climatic variations is a serious problem. Family farmers are even more vulnerable, as in addition to being dependent on natural resources, they suffer impacts on agricultural production caused by water deficit, in such a way that they cannot deal with these events, which can be a situation that weakens their resource base and also the sustainability of the system. The municipality of Taperoá - PB (7º 12’ 23" South - 36º 49’ 25" West), State of Paraíba (Brazil), is located in the micro-region of Western Cariri. It is limited to the North, with Areia de Baraúna, Salgadinho and Assunção, East, with Santo André and São José dos Cordeiros, South, with São José dos Cordeiros and Livramento, West, with Cacimbas and Passagem. It has an area of 644,155 km² and an estimated population of 15,193 people. In its climatic aspects, the region is characterized by rains concentrated in a single period (3 to 5 months), with annual averages ranging from 400 to 800, with the worst averages recorded per year in the last 10 years. The drought vulnerability index found was 67.4%, being considered very high, evidencing the permanent state of socioeconomic weakness. It also indicates the inexistence of policies and infrastructure for living with the semiarid region. The high value of vulnerability to drought found expresses the critical levels of exposure and fragility to environmental disasters in which the population lives.