Avaliação geomorfológica de áreas inundáveis em um trecho da bacia hidrográfica do rio Seridó, entre a barragem Passagem das Traíras e a cidade de Caicó: um enfoque no risco iminente de rompimento da barragem Passagem das Traíras

Abstract

This article aims to evaluate the risk of flooding in a stretch of the Seridó River, facing a possible rupture of the Passagem das Traíras Dam. The maps were developed using Geographic Information Systems, in which were used data from the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission) and the Landsat 8 satellite. From these maps, hypsometry, slope, land use and topographic profiles were generated. It was also possible to extract morphometric indices, such as: coefficient of compactness and form factor. The values of the referred indices were 3.03 and 0.19, respectively. The longitudinal profile indicated an altimetric amplitude of 70 meters, from the reservoir to Caicó city. The transversal profiles, on the other hand, indicated fluvial styles, mostly of the non-confining valley type, while only one of them indicated the partially confined type. The morphometric values, as well as the topographic profiles indicated that, naturally, the basin would not be highly prone to the occurrence of floods. However, due to the use of the land and the risk of rupture of the analyzed reservoir, there is a certain degree of vulnerability of the populations and their assets in the face of an imminent rupture of the Passagem das Traíras Dam.