Invisibilidade do Rio Taquari/Rio Grande do Sul (RS)

história ambiental e vulnerabilidade aos eventos hidrológicos extremos

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the relationship between the historical process of land use and occupation along the banks of the Taquari River in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, and the magnitude of hydrological disasters.To build this analysis, the study integrates socioeconomic, cultural, environmental, and climatic factors in riverside municipalities along the river's main course that were in a state of calamity during the April/May 2024 disaster. The methodology includes a literature review, document analysis, and fieldwork.The Taquari River has historically played a key role in enabling municipalities to achieve their current socio-economic development, primarily through the exploitation of natural resources.Territorial degradation may have contributed to the worsening of the disasters in September 2023 and April/May 2024. There is no concrete public policy in the area under study—nor in most municipalities of the Taquari Valley—regarding flood adaptation or environmental conservation, let alone considering the intensifying effects of climate change.