Chapter 10

Urban Faces of Climate and Floods

in Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil

Josefa Eliane Santana de Siqueira Pinto, Max Anjos,

and João Luiz Santana Brazil

Abstract It is a fact that Brazilian cities have been affected by extreme rainfall
events, which become more frequent and intense in times of global and local cli-
mate change, especially with regard to floods, inundations, and landslides, caused
by occupation, use, and disordered ground cover. Aracaju is the capital of the State
of Sergipe, located in the Northeast of Brazil; the city’s relationship with the waters
is intense, due to the proximity to the Sergipe River, the Atlantic Ocean, the Vaza-­
Barris River, and the tributaries of the Sergipe River (Rio do Sal, to the North, and
Rio Poxim, to the South), and the presence of the Santa Maria Canal in the interior
of the city. Thus, the objective of researching this topic is to understand the analysis
of flood risks and their consequent impacts in Aracaju. As a qualitative and quantita-
tive method, some different procedures were necessary, such as theoretical review
based on the Urban Climate System and cartographic survey and recording of data
and information, including field work to prove areas at risk of flooding. The meth-
odology allowed the crossing of socio-environmental variables to identify different
levels of susceptibility and occurrence of floods, resulting in the mapping of
such levels.

J. E. S. de Siqueira Pinto (*) ·

Full Professor of the Graduate Program in Geography at the Federal University of Sergipe,
Sergipe, Brazil
M. Anjos
Chair of Climatology, Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstraße
12, 12165 Berlin, Germany
J. L. S. Brazil
PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Geography at the Federal, University of Sergipe,
Sergipe, Brazil
e-mail: j.eliane@academico.ufs.br; maxanjos@campus.ul.pt

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 193

Switzerland AG 2023
F. Mendonça et al. (eds.), Urban Flooding in Brazil,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20898-0_10
194 J. E. S. de Siqueira Pinto et al.

10.1 Introduction (Sectored Conjectures)

Research, knowledge, analysis, and climate science find echoes in the book Climate
and Exceptionalism: Conjectures on the Performance of the Atmosphere as a
Geographic Phenomenon by Monteiro (1991), who makes a wide-ranging discus-
sion about the conceptual web at the semantic level as a reinforcement in climato-
logical analysis, contributing to a conciliatory proposal between common sense and
science. Here, Monteiro seeks philosophical references to interpret the internal
mechanisms of exceptional system behavior (General Systems Theory) that gener-
ate the structure of a Theory of Disasters. This method consists of assuming that
very particular cases can be considered at first. Later on, he refers to the notion of
accidents (Monteiro, 1991), where a justification is sought for theoretical experi-
mentation and practical manipulation over floods.
However, in his personal conceptions about the geographical character of the
climate, Monteiro (1991) extracts problems and conjectures from these informa-
tions that are originated from various fields of investigation, even though they con-
verge towards the common denominator.
The author further states that the idea of man investigating nature to understand
the secret of its stabilities and regularities and rare events has become a dialogue,
where relations come to understand and modify. “Experimentation would come to
require an interaction between discovery (theoretical) and manipulation (practical)”
(Monteiro, 1991, p. 112).
The geographer should seek a holistic interaction of geographical facts, which
should converge more towards a global synthesis than towards a sectored special-
ization, considering an anthropization of a local climate: “[...] it seems easier to
characterize those oscillating tendencies of ‘diversification–organization–special-
ization’” (Monteiro, 1991, p. 130). Monteiro also points out that temporal spatiali-
ties and spatial temporalities are not the exclusive concerns of certain geographers.
Further, we should also stress the author’s assertion that “the ability of the prac-
titioner of geographical research [...] is precisely that ability to shed light on the
fundamental and significant links in this chain of heterogeneous and highly com-
plex facts” (Monteiro, 1991, p. 185).
We highlight what was said in the reading: “Thus it seems [...] extremely neces-
sary to establish a fundamental distinction between ‘doing science’ and the contri-
bution of science to ‘knowledge’” (Monteiro, 1991, p. 156). Therefore, understanding
the flood system is a prerogative of the Urban Climate System, inserted in the urban
socio-environmental system, and this knowledge is presented here as a result of
research applied at the spatial scale of Aracaju, Sergipe.
10 Urban Faces of Climate and Floods in Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil 195

10.2 Theoretical Experimentation: Defining Reason

In the urban context, the impacts of society on nature are seen in social, political,
and cultural differences, and these differences, in turn, are determined by particular
environmental constraints. Cities are built on distinct urban sites; they can develop
on coastal areas or in distant interiors; they originate near or far from mountains;
and they develop horizontally or stand out by their sprawl.
In turn, the disorderly growth of cities has caused a continuous process of envi-
ronmental degradation in urban centers. Allied to the lack of spatial planning and
the absence of basic infrastructure, this growth has led to the instability of the
dynamics of relief, soils, and rivers, enabling events caused by climatic factors.
Man’s action in the environment causes the conditions of the natural system to
change, which triggers new processes retroactively, since nature is not passive to
man’s interventions. Man has been intensifying changes in the environment in order
to mold the physical environment to his needs and uses. Such changes cause distur-
bances in the balance of natural systems, resulting in risky situations that can trigger
climatic events. Thus, with the implementation and expansion of precarious settle-
ments, in areas of high slopes and riverbanks, an urban scenario of extreme risk of
landslides, floods, and mudslides was generated.
Although these events are natural, with reasonably known periods and locations,
their severity depends on societies’ tolerance of the impacts generated. Reducing
the vulnerability of the urban environment requires structural changes in society,
adapting its uses to environmental conditions (Monteiro, 2009).
Geographical knowledge and the interest in studying the city of Aracaju stimu-
late new approaches without necessarily configuring repetitive perspectives. What
we propose here is the focus on the Urban Environmental System (UAS), as advo-
cated by Mendonca (2004), in the book Climate Risk: Associated Vulnerability and
Resilience.
In Brazil, the geographic approach in climatology, regarding the analysis of rain-
fall impacts in urban areas, has its theoretical and conceptual basis in the studies
developed by Monteiro, both regarding the paradigm of rhythmic analysis (Monteiro,
1971), and to the systemic approach to urban climate (Monteiro, 1976). The con-
centrated rainfall impacts and their spatial repercussions in the studied region will
be analyzed based on this conceptual system through the meteoric impact percep-
tion channel (hydrodynamic subsystem) valuing the anomalous episodes and cate-
gorizing them in “extreme or accidental events” (Gonçalves, 2003).
In this chapter, concentrated rainfall episodes were focused under two distinct
theoretical and conceptual aspects, although closely related within a geographical
perspective focused on environmental quality problems: urban climate and extreme
rainfall events.
Urban climate is understood as a system that encompasses the climate of a given
land space and its urbanization (Mascaró, 1996). The most important climate ele-
ments are air temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind. These elements are
196 J. E. S. de Siqueira Pinto et al.

dynamic, since they are modified at every moment according to the various interac-
tions among them.
The city generates its own (urban) climate, which stems from the interference of
all the factors that take place over the urban boundary layer and that alter the climate
on a local scale. Its most direct effects are perceived by the population through
manifestations related to thermal comfort, air quality, rainfall impacts, and others
capable of disrupting city life and deteriorating the quality of life of its inhabitants
(Monteiro, 1976).
In relation to the climatic system, the city of Aracaju is exposed to environmental
risks, especially flooding episodes, due to the lack of drainage systems, protection,
monitoring, alert, and prevention equipment for rainfall events. Thus, it is necessary
to warn about actual and potential flood risks in order to predict and mitigate occur-
rences and effects.
It should be noted that the concept of risk in this work applies to the analysis of
the causes and consequences of hydrological phenomena linked to the increase in
their level. Such phenomena can be classified as floods, mudslides, and flash floods.
Looking for quantitative data, we found that in the last two decades, out of every
five natural disasters in the world, two were floods; they affect 56% of the popula-
tion which suffers from such disasters, ranking fourth in fatalities and third in eco-
nomic losses (CRED, 2013).
The concept of flooding covers the river overflow that reaches the floodplain or
its surroundings. Finally, flash floods are the momentary accumulation of water in
certain places due to deficiency of the drainage system (Amaral & Ribeiro, 2009).
According to the authors (op. cit.), the magnitude and frequency of hydrological
processes occur as a function of the intensity, amount, and distribution of precipita-
tion, the rate of water infiltration into the soil, the degree of soil saturation, and the
morphometric and morphological characteristics of the drainage basin. Studies on
the probability of occurrence of flash floods and floods must be analyzed by com-
bining the natural and anthropic conditioning factors of a basin.
According to Amaral and Ribeiro (2009), the probability of occurrence of floods
and flash floods is analyzed by the combination between natural and anthropic con-
ditioning factors. Among the natural conditioning factors are (a) the shape of the
relief; (b) the drainage network characteristics of the hydrographic basin; (c) the
intensity, quantity, distribution, and frequency of rainfall; (d) the soil characteristics
and the moisture content; and (e) the presence or absence of vegetation cover.
Among the anthropic conditioning factors listed and referenced, we highlight (a)
irregular use and occupation on the plains and banks of waterways; (b) irregular
disposal of waste in the vicinity of waterways; and (c) changes in the drainage basin
and waterways characteristics (flow, rectification, and canalization of waterways
and soil sealing, among others).
Floods are older than the existence of man on earth. Society has historically
become accustomed to being close to rivers, and the riparian areas that correspond
to the major riverbed are generally flat, favorable for human settlement. This has
motivated their occupation, especially when the flood frequency is low (Tucci, 1993).
10 Urban Faces of Climate and Floods in Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil 197

Fig. 10.1 Profile of the flood and overflow process. (Adapted from Ministry of Cities/IPT, 2007)

Flooding is determined by combinations of atmospheric and topographic factors,

drainage basin characteristics, and land use. The importance of these aspects change
over time, given the physical elements’ and especially society’s dynamism.
We present a didactic way to understand different flooding concepts in Fig. 10.1.
When the flood reaches a level above the river’s main channel maximum and the
waters overflow from the drainage channel to the marginal areas—floodplain, its
surroundings, or major bed—flooding occurs (Carvalho, 2007).
The expression urban flooding was used by Tucci and Bertoni (2003 p. 45) to
designate the overflow of waters from rivers, streams, and pluvial galleries from the
drainage bed due to the lack of transport capacity of one of these systems (many
times due to anthropic intervention), which start to occupy areas used for housing,
transportation (streets, roads, and sidewalks), recreation, commerce, and industry,
among others. In a further conceptual delimitation of this terminology, the same
author defines it as flooding due to urbanization. According to Tucci,
These are the floods that occur in urban drainage due to the effect of soil sealing, channel-
ization of runoff, or obstructions to runoff. Flooding increases in frequency and magnitude
due to soil sealing and the construction of rain pipe networks. Urban development can also
produce obstructions to runoff, such as embankments, bridges, inadequate drainage,
obstructions to runoff along conduits, and silting. (Tucci & Bertoni, 2003, p. 45)

Rainfall events are more significant in Brazilian urban environments due to the
agglomeration of people, the disorganization of urban expansion, the forms of space
occupation, use of natural resources, socio-spatial segregation, and the fixation of
fixed capital on fragile environments (Marcelino et al., 2006 apud Zanella &
Olímpio, 2014).
In this context, according to Collischonn (2010 apud Gois et al., 2012), episodic
manifestations, such as intense precipitation, result in floods with dynamics and
implications that already evidence the growing social differentiation present in cit-
ies and can be interpreted as an urban environmental problem.
Extreme rainfall events are the major contributors to natural disasters (Monteiro,
1991). Thus, these extreme events are consequently linked to the occurrences of
extreme precipitation. This precipitation, combined with the geographical
198 J. E. S. de Siqueira Pinto et al.

characteristics of cities and their typical problems, causes floods, that is, the flood-
ing and overflowing of the river level or the flooding resulting from the inability of
the water to infiltrate the soil.
It is worth mentioning that there are identical configurations between flooding
and overflow in some urban references. Here, we consider flooding as indirect phe-
nomena, associated with the river channel, with landscape alterations and ineffi-
ciency or inexistence of the urban drainage system.
Floods are one of the main problems in Brazilian cities, and they have been
increasingly frequent, causing great damage to society. According to Botelho
(2011), the occurrence of floods is a natural phenomenon, characteristic of lowland
river areas. However, in urban areas, intense occupation and the inadequacy of
urban drainage systems make flooding a risk for citizens.
Thus, considering the influence of intense rainfall events on the organization of
urban space, we highlight the relationship between meteoric impacts and the dis-
tinct conditions of urban socio-environmental vulnerability in Aracaju (Gois
et al., 2012).

10.3 Practical Manipulation: Significance

and Spatial Configuration

From the 1970s on, Aracaju began to expand in all directions, both in horizontal
physical expansion, via the formation of new peripheries, and through verticaliza-
tion, which became a standard of status in the city, occupied by the portion of the
population that initially lived in single-family downtown residential areas.
In the mid-1990s, Aracaju was already configured mainly by the verticalization
of its residential activities. If until then Aracaju had been characterized by urban
expansion related to the implementation of housing developments, it is now clearly
moving towards a reality of vertical condominiums on private lots.
This process of urban expansion continues rapidly in this same dimension, with
new regions being densified by housing projects developed by private growth accel-
eration programs and real estate investments. In 2014, the city situation could be
expressed as several cities existing in one. The new morphological configurations
that have resulted from recent years created different forms of densification and
spatial characteristics possible.
In recent years, the city has grown in the direction of the Expansion Zone and its
neighboring areas, which receive closed residential condominiums and subdivisions
even without having the necessary infrastructure to support all this densification.
In Aracaju, the urban growth process has favored the occupation of fragile envi-
ronments, marked by specific processes that sometimes conflict with the present
socio-environmental dynamics, so that risk situations are generated periodically.
Thus, the city of Aracaju demonstrates an inadequate use of certain spaces, subject
to a unique natural dynamic or climatic risk.
The effects of extreme rainfall events are intensified by precarious housing, vul-
nerable environments, and the lack of infrastructure, mainly due to the fact that
10 Urban Faces of Climate and Floods in Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil 199

these areas have a very high occupational density without the minimum organiza-
tional structure nor basic services.
This expansion of the urban site has occurred in a disorderly way in environmen-
tally fragile areas, such as fluvio-lagoon regions and areas with steep unstable
slopes. The disrespect for environmental laws ended up interfering with the balance
between pedogenesis and morphogenesis on a local scale, creating situations of risk
on the slopes, and subjecting low altimetry areas to flood risks (Santos, 2012).

10.4 The Climate of Aracaju

Aracaju, due to its natural and social condition, constitutes a favorable environment
for the effects of local climate change, including floods and overflows. Positioned in
the intertropical zone (10th parallel south), Aracaju has hot summers and mild win-
ters, characterized by annual averages of 27 °C, relative humidity of 70%, and solar
radiation of 5 kW m−2 day−1. The city is exposed to the action of different synoptic
systems (Anjos, 2012, 2017; Anjos & Lopes, 2019; Anjos et al., 2020). The main
centers of action acting in the region are the South Atlantic Subtropical Anticyclone
(SASA) and the North Atlantic Subtropical Anticyclone (NASA), with which the
southeast and northeast trade winds are associated, respectively. In the confluence
zone of these winds lies the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which is
responsible for part of the total rainfall in the northeast region. The ITCZ is a cloud
band formed by the convergence of trade winds at low tropospheric levels and is
characterized by low pressures and intense convective activity and precipitation
(Ferreira & Mello, 2004). The displacement of the ITCZ is related to the appearance
of the Stability Lines that cause rainfall in the Northeastern coast in the period
between March and April (Cavalcanti, 1982).
Another system that contributes to intensifying rainfall events in the northeastern
coastal region are the Easterly Wave Disturbances coming from the western coast of
Africa in the fall and winter months (Machado et al., 2009). During the winter,
Aracaju is also subject to the occasional penetration of Cold Fronts originating from
the Southern Polar Migratory Anticyclone, which cause intense episodes of rain,
low temperatures, high humidity, and strong gusts of wind (Anjos, 2012). In the
summer, two meteorological systems are important in the local hydrological cycle:
the Upper Tropospheric Cyclonic Vortex (UTCVs) and the Mesoscale Convective
Complexes (MCCs). In UTCVs, the rainfall episodes are mainly at its periphery,
and with MCCs, there is the production of precipitation extremes, such as thunder-
storms. Anjos et al. (2020) statistically reported the occurrence of several atmo-
spheric systems influencing the sea breeze system in Aracaju during the summer
and showed that the highest rainfall totals correspond to UTCVs, with 81% of the
cases, followed by MCCs, with 12%.
We emphasize that the different synoptic patterns mentioned modulate the local
hydrological cycle, and their monitoring is important for a better understanding of
the extreme flood events in Aracaju.
200 J. E. S. de Siqueira Pinto et al.

10.5 Extreme Flood Events

The various forms of production of geographic space exert strong pressure on water
and natural space, being carried out most of the time without considering the popu-
lations’ and the environment’s vulnerability. In this sense, urban centers near drain-
age basins add numerous environmental problems and conflicts, negatively
impacting its environmental balance and the well-being and quality of life of its
residents.
The impact of flooding in the city is a differential physical-environmental pro-
cess in the territory, which is usually occupied by socially vulnerable populations.
To exemplify the impact of flooding in Aracaju, the distribution of the monthly aver-
age rainfall and the number of flooding occurrences was analyzed, combining data
from INMET, SEMATH, the Civil Defense of Aracaju, and news reports from the
period between 2004 and 2020. The data analysis showed that the occurrence of a
rainy or very rainy period led to an increase in the frequency of extreme risk rainfall
events, when rainfall is equal to or greater than 60 mm/24 h (Zanella, 2009)
(Fig. 10.2).
Regarding the monthly distribution in the studied period, we found that the fre-
quency of flood occurrences corresponds mostly to the months considered to be
rainy. May stands out, followed by June. In May, 36 (35.00%) extreme flood events
occurred, with average totals of 323.2 mm/year. June recorded 18 (17.8%) events
with an average of 193.5 mm/year. In addition, events occurred in the rainy pre-­
season, as in January, counting 17 (16.8%) events with precipitation with an average
value of 52.6 mm/year.
Thus, the research made from the results of the extreme rainfall events surveyed
by the Aracaju Civil Defense and in the newspapers Gazeta de Sergipe, Jornal da
Cidade, and Cinform, concerning the news of rainfall impacts in the urban area of

350.0 40

300.0 35

30
250.0
25
Number

200.0
(mm)

of rain
events

20
150.0
15
100.0
10

50.0 5

0.0 0
Jan Fev Mar Apr May Jun Jul Ago Sep Oct Nov Dec

RAIN

Fig. 10.2 Relationship between average monthly precipitation and rainfall events in Aracaju
2004–2020. (Adapted from INMET, SEMATH, Aracaju Civil Defense, and research on newspa-
pers from 2004 to 2020)
10 Urban Faces of Climate and Floods in Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil 201

Fig. 10.3 Occurrences of flooding in Aracaju, 2004–2020. (Adapted from Aracaju Civil Defense, 2020)

Fig. 10.4 Occurrences of flash floods in Aracaju, 2004–2020. (Adapted from Aracaju Civil
Defense, 2020)
202 J. E. S. de Siqueira Pinto et al.

Fig. 10.5 Flooding in Vila Socó-Jabotiana neighborhood, Aracaju, Sergipe. (Adapted from the
Annual Report of the Aracaju Civil Defense 2019)

the city of Aracaju between 2004 and 2020, allowed us to carry out a survey of the
main extreme rainfall events in the city of Aracaju, as shown in the Figs. 10.3 and
10.4 below.
The detailed reading of the period and the photographic record in headlines
allowed a cataloging by neighborhoods. In total there were 101 flooding points of
various frequency levels and causes, so that some neighborhoods contain more
information, either due to repercussions or ease of access (Fig. 10.5).
We observe that in Aracaju the extreme rainfall events are well spatialized and
have temporal regularity, 42 having occurred in the northern zone, 38 in the south-
ern zone, and 21 in the western zone. The most serious occurrences were registered
in risk areas where the population is more vulnerable.
The various occurrences of extreme rainfall events were noticed in different
spaces of the capital. The flooding areas have affected a large portion of the neigh-
borhoods located in the southern and western zones, including areas with the best
standards of urban infrastructure.
In the southern zone of Aracaju, a high number of extreme rainfall events were
observed, and we highlight the Santa Maria neighborhood, with 16 events, and the
Expansion Zone, with 11 flood events in the last decade.
Santa Maria is the neighborhood with the highest occurrence among all the other
neighborhoods in Aracaju. Moreover, it is the neighborhood with the highest num-
ber of events recorded in the period, which demonstrates the lack of concern of
government leaders regarding the prevention of flood risks that society has suffered
over the years.
In the same region is the Aracaju Expansion Zone, which consists of the Aruanda,
Mosqueiro, and Areia Branca housing complexes. The urban occupation of these
complexes took place recently, circa 2009, when extreme rainfall events in this
locality started to be reported.
The survey shows that most of the rainfall events in this locality occurred between
2009 and 2011, thus showing the degree of environmental vulnerability that exists
in the Expansion Zone. Therefore, the urban occupation developed by the housing
10 Urban Faces of Climate and Floods in Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil 203

companies generated considerable environmental impacts, because the natural

dynamics of the region were compromised due to the high occupational density,
overloading the environment and affecting the region’s capacity of supporting
impacts.
Considering an analysis of the evolution of urban occupation, one can see an
increase in the total of occupied areas between the years 2004 and 2020. In other
words, there are currently in this region more areas built and sealed by the construc-
tion of large condominiums. The word impermeable is becoming synonymous with
the word urban: water that used to be absorbed by the ground is now retained on the
surface. In this situation, the greater the rainfall, the greater the amount of water
suspended in the soil, which consequently accumulates on the paved surface,
another factor that contributes to the formation of flash floods, added to the lack of
maintenance or inexistence of drainage systems.
In the survey, the northern zone neighborhoods stand out: Porto Dantas with 11
extreme rainfall events, Santo Antônio with 7, Soledade with 5, Cidade Nova with
5, Dezoito do Forte with 4, Getimana with 4, Lamarão with 3, Japãozinho with 2,
and Manoel Preto with 1 (Fig. 10.6).
In the research, we saw that in the same region there was a higher and constant
number of occurrences as of 2008, with the Porto Dantas neighborhood as the high-
light of flooding events. The extreme rainfall events in this locality are associated
with the irregular occupation of land, deficiency in the engineering of the houses
(which generally do not adapt to the terrain), the lack of environmental education
regarding the destination of garbage, and the lack of pluvial drainage, among others
(Fig. 10.7).
Due to the heavy rains that affected not only the city of Aracaju in 2020 but also
the cities of Areia Branca, Itaporanga d'Ajuda, São Cristóvão, and Nossa Senhora
do Socorro, the Poxim River’s flow increased significantly. The Poxim River has
two distributaries: Poxim-Açu and Poxim-Mirim. On the Poxim-Açu River, there is
a dam that collects all the rainwater from the aforementioned municipalities. The
Poxim-Mirim River, on the other hand, carries all the rainwater from these

Fig. 10.6 Flooding on Euclides Figueiredo Avenue-Soledade neighborhood. (Adapted from the
Annual Report of the Civil Defense of Aracaju 2019)
204 J. E. S. de Siqueira Pinto et al.

Fig. 10.7 Flooding on B Street, Conjunto Cleonaldo-Porto Dantas neighborhood. (Adapted from
the Annual Report of the Aracaju Civil Defense 2019)

Fig. 10.8 Flooded areas along the Poxim River, Aracaju, Sergipe. (Adapted from the Annual
Report of the Civil Defense of Aracaju 2020)

municipalities without any interruption in its course. Thus, the water from the
Poxim-­ Mirim River flow joins the Poxim-Açu River flow and enters Aracaju
through the Jabotiana neighborhood, causing the river to overflow in the Largo da
Aparecida region (Fig. 10.8).
In view of the results obtained through the research on the occurrences of flood-
ing, it is clear that even with the heaviest rains in the city, the regions that suffer the
most damage are the northern and western zones, which highlights the importance
of developing preventive actions in the most critical regions to reduce their risk and
vulnerability.
Thus, the extreme rainfall events in Aracaju occur in the fall and winter period,
between the months of March and July, and expose the city’s population to risk. The
intensification of the urbanization process has contributed to the increase in flood
risk areas, as shown in the map of flood/overflow risk for Aracaju between 2004
and 2020.
The flood risk map was built based on the analysis of the quantitative results of
the extreme rainfall events surveyed, together with an integrated analysis of the
geomorphological, slope, drainage, and land use maps of Aracaju. Through this
analysis, its author has determined five classes of risk. According to the constructed
10 Urban Faces of Climate and Floods in Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil 205

Fig. 10.9 Flood risk map of Aracaju, between 2004 and 2020. (Adapted from Brazil 2016 and
updated by Brazil 2020)
206 J. E. S. de Siqueira Pinto et al.

map, the risk of flooding in Aracaju, between the years 2004 and 2020, is concen-
trated in the northern and southern parts of the city (Fig. 10.9).
The northern zone, specifically in Porto Dantas, is where there is a greater risk of
flooding, due to the acceleration of irregular occupation—largely the result of a his-
tory of inadequate urban planning—making Porto Dantas one of the neighborhoods
with the highest occurrences and material damage in the city, during the analyzed
period. In the southern zone, there are two realities: the first is the Expansion Zone
of Aracaju, which is occupied by upper class families, and the second is the Santa
Maria neighborhood, inhabited by lower class families.
There are socioeconomic factors that influence the ability to react to risk events,
such as differences in the level of vulnerability of various social classes. The vulner-
able population suffers consequences that can vary in degree of intensity, depending
on its capacity to cope with disasters.
The Expansion Zone has a high risk of flooding, mainly due to the lack of macro-­
drainage on the site, and its lake morphology having been buried for the construc-
tion of horizontal condominiums. This problem of burial led to the obstruction of
the rainwater drainage system that previously existed in the area, which led to flood-
ing from 2009 onwards.
In the Santa Maria neighborhood, the reality in relation to economic power is
visualized by its type of residence. The issue, however, is similar to that of the
Expansion Zone and the entire city of Aracaju. There is inadequate planning of the
rainwater drainage network, including clogging of the drains by the garbage thrown
by the population. However, attention should be paid to the fact that the risk is
higher in the Santa Maria neighborhood, due to its inherent vulnerability and socio-­
environmental fragility.

10.6 Concluding Remarks

The environment formed by the natural environment and the population (urban
socioeconomic) is a living and dynamic being that generates a set of interconnected
effects, which, uncontrolled, can lead the city to risk. Thus, the risk of extreme rain-
fall events essentially involves understanding the dynamics of natural and social
phenomena and their interrelationships in the production of spaces at risk, since
disintegrated approaches have only resulted in partial answers, unable to adequately
perceive the present problems.
Besides the occurrence of precipitation and the climatic rhythm, other effective
agents for flooding are the natural physical aspects and the city’s occupation pat-
terns. The city of Aracaju is susceptible to the occurrence of floods. The socioeco-
nomic characteristics, as well as the arrangement of the land use organization, are
factors that accentuate the degree of risk of the city’s population.
Currently, the intense occupation of risk areas has caused greater potential for
extreme rainfall event damages, related to the higher precipitation totals that occur
in the first half of each year. We thus highlight the relationship between intense
10 Urban Faces of Climate and Floods in Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil 207

rainfall events and the conditions of socio-environmental vulnerability in the urban

space of Aracaju—where the populations living in neighborhoods with less infra-
structure and, consequently, lower income are the most affected by the repercus-
sions of intense rainfall episodes, being subjected to a greater condition of risk to
climate events in urban environments.
From the results obtained, we see that some neighborhoods in Aracaju experi-
ence extreme rainfall events recurrently. This situation indicates that intense natural
events occur with high frequency but also warns that the population and public
institutions have low resilience, since, after being hit by an adverse event, they have
no means to predict, prevent, and mitigate future disasters based on previous experi-
ence. Thus, they constantly suffer from the same damages, making the risk situation
a constant in people’s lives.
Furthermore, the news reports described that the inconveniences and complaints
from residents are not recent problems; whenever rainfall exceeds normal levels,
these problems become evident, thus pointing to a lack of planning. The preventive
work is superficial—only in times of risk are the residents removed from their
homes, the sewers unblocked, and the garbage collected—without extinguishing the
problems that reoccur regularly.

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