ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Water and Wastewater Management
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1551177
WATER SUSTAINABILITY INDEX (WSI) IN A WATERSHED OF THE EASTERN AMAZON: AN ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL, HYDROLOGICAL, SOCIAL, AND SECTORAL USE DIMENSIONS
Provisionally accepted
RENATO Oliveira SILVA JUNIOR1,2*
Wilson Nascimento Junior1,3Adayana Maria Queiroz Melo2Helena Pereira Almeida2Marcio Sousa Silva2Francisco Souza Oliveira4*
ALINE MARIA MEIGUINS DE LIMA4- 1Vale Technological Institute (ITV), Belém, Brazil
- 2Researcher in the Environmental Geology and Water Resources Group, Belém, Brazil
- 3Researcher of the Socioeconomics Group, Belém, Brazil
- 4Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Pará, Belem, Brazil
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Abstract - This study evaluates the water sustainability of the Itacaiúnas River Watershed (IRW) in the Eastern Amazon using an adapted Water Sustainability Index (WSI). This basin stands out for its intense mineral and agricultural activities throughout its expansion. The index was adapted from the methodology proposed by Chavez and Alipaz (2007), which uses a weighted average to combine different indicators, with weights defined based on the coefficient of variation of the indicators that make up the WSI. This study's approach integrates the environmental (E) dimension, represented by forest fragmentation; the hydrological (H) dimension, associated with hydrological variability; the social (S) dimension, related to the social progress index; and the public policy (PP) dimension, which considers the pressure from user sectors. The calculated WSI was 0.37, indicating low water sustainability, reflecting deforestation, forest fragmentation, hydrological variability, and social disparities among the municipalities that comprise the IRW. The environmental dimension demonstrated an increase in forest fragmentation in the territory between 2008 and 2022. The hydrological analysis revealed low water availability during dry periods, associated with climatic seasonality, insufficient hydrometeorological data, and climate change. In the social dimension, mining municipalities had the most significant social indicator, but the economic benefit of the activity does not extend to all municipalities in the basin. The public policy dimension, indicated high demand, mainly for mining, agriculture, and human supply. The results highlight the need for strategic actions, such as expanding hydrological monitoring, environmental restoration, and strengthening water resource management.
Keywords: Water Sustainability Index (WSI), Environmental public policies, Hydrological management, social dimension, Eastern Amazon
Received: 02 Jan 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 SILVA JUNIOR, Junior, Melo, Almeida, Silva, Oliveira and LIMA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
RENATO Oliveira SILVA JUNIOR, Vale Technological Institute (ITV), Belém, Brazil
Francisco Souza Oliveira, Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Pará, Belem, 66075-110, Brazil
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