Vulnerabilidade Socioambiental em Áreas de Risco às Enchentes do Rio Solimões na cidade de Tabatinga-AM

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the socio-environmental vulnerabilities in flood-prone areas of the Solimões River in the city of Tabatinga–AM, from a socio-environmental geography perspective, investigating how natural phenomena, social conditions, and urban growth interact to produce differentiated risks among groups of residents in at-risk areas. The research starts from the observation that the municipality, situated on firm land and floodplains and marked by disordered urban growth, presents several factors that imply socio-environmental vulnerability: vulnerability, lack of environmental sanitation, irregular occupation in Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs), floodplains, environmental degradation, and fragile urban infrastructure. To achieve satisfactory research results, we adopted a systemic method, combining geoprocessing, hydrological surveys, mapping of risk areas, fieldwork, and interviews with residents. Areas of very high, high, and medium-high risk were identified, especially in the neighborhoods of Dom Pedro I, São Francisco, Portobrás, Brilhante, and the Umariaçú I and II communities, where the natural flood cycle is aggravated by the occupation of floodplain areas and the difficulty in implementing effective public policies. The results demonstrated that socio-environmental vulnerability in Tabatinga is not only physical but also social: the most affected groups are residents of low-income neighborhoods, female heads of households, and Ticuna indigenous communities in areas adjacent to the urban environment. These groups live with recurring floods on the banks of streams, diseases, water contamination, material losses, and interruption of public services. However, the resilience of residents in coping with the phenomenon was also observed, building their own adaptation strategies, such as stilt houses, walkways, and socio-environmental awareness. The thesis concludes that the floods of the Solimões River should not be seen merely as natural disasters, but as the result of the combination of river dynamics, socioeconomic inequalities, and lack of urban planning, requiring integrated and continuous actions from municipal, state, and federal public authorities.