WATER BALANCE WITH DIFFERENTIATED FIELD CAPACITY IN SÃO BENTO DO UNA – PE: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE WATER CRISIS

Abstract

The climatic information of a given region is necessary in order to establish strategies that aim at the most appropriate management of natural resources. Through the Water Balance it is possible to determine the locations that present water deficit or excess, using the variables precipitation and evapotranspiration. The prominence of the water balance computation with field capacity, differentiated for the city of São Bento do Una, is based on the importance that water has for the survival of agricultural and poultry activities. Rain and thermal data from 1920 to 2016 were used to calculate the water balance. The computation was performed using the Thornthwaite and Mather model in electronic spreadsheets. With an annual rainfall index of 606 mm and a thermal one of 22 ° C, a lower water intake resulted and a higher outlet due to the greater evaporative power causing the climatological water deficit, impacting with droughts and the process of desertification, which can lead to losses for poultry, agriculture, storage, water impoundment and the local economy