Impacto do processo de urbanização na formação de enchentes e alagamentos em Belo Horizonte, MG

Abstract

Floods and inundations are products of urbanization, and even in planned cities like Belo Horizonte / MG, they occur very often and with magnitude. From the analysis of the construction planning of the capital of Minas Gerais, aiming to understand the urbanistic relationship between the city, the hydrographic basin and watercourses, this study aimed to investigate the actions undertaken during the formation of the city of Belo Horizonte and its correlation with the formation of floods and inundations. Through a literature review, it was sought to identify the precepts of conception and implantation of the capital of Minas Gerais, in addition to the actions taken over time for the urbanization of space and metropolization. The results revealed that the abundance of water resources was decisive in the choice of the location of the capital's headquarters, based on the sanitarian discourse of eliminating waste and easy collection of water for supplying. However, the inadequacy of the urban transformation plan, in which the layout pictured orthogonal routes even though major topographic changes and fluvial changes to the site were necessary, resulted in the suppression of watercourses in the landscape, urbanization of valley bottoms, construction of large road systems and, above all, in channeling the streams. Therefore, the urbanization took the place of the river and can then be considered responsible for causing the formation of inundations, floods and flooding in the city.