APPLICABILITY OF THE SWAT HYDROLOGICAL MODEL IN THE MUCURI RIVER BASIN

ABSTRACT Land-use changes promote significant variations in streamflow regimes, and hydrological models allow studying their impacts. Based on this approach, this study aimed to assess the applicability of the SWAT model for different land-use scenarios and their respective impacts on the flow regime of the Mucuri River. The average monthly and daily water balance was generated after the calibration and validation of the SWAT model in the basin. Three land-use scenarios were analyzed in relation to the current land use, as follows: replacement of the agricultural area by the eucalyptus crop, replacement of the native forest area by the sugarcane crop, and replacement of pasture by exposed soil. The results showed that the SWAT model is adequate to simulate the land-use change and its impact on the flow regime of the Mucuri River; the replacement of agriculture by eucalyptus in the basin led to a decrease in the average and minimum reference streamflows; and the replacement of the forest cover by sugarcane and pasture by exposed soil provided an increase in the average and minimum reference streamflows.