Contribuição de resíduos sólidos urbanos na qualidade ambiental do estuário dos Bons Sinas, província da Zambézia

Abstract

This study's main objective was to assess the contribution of urban solid waste, with potential impacts on the environmental and ecological quality of the Bons Sinais Estuary. Data collection was carried out at three distinct points along the Marginal, which provides access to the Bons Sinais Estuary, during the months of June and July 2024, at different tidal phases. In addition to identifying the waste, solid residues were grouped according to their nature and typology. An inventory of the main sources of entry was conducted, and the probable environmental impacts of each type of waste were analysed. The main groups of solid waste identified in percentage terms in June were: plastics (60.73%), organic matter (15.94%), porous materials (9.96%), rubbers (0.35%), glass (3.40%), metals (4.57%), paper (3.63%), and residues (1.41%). In July, the figures were: plastics (64.70%), organic matter (14.29%), porous materials (9.83%), rubbers (0.41%), glass (2.48%), metals (3.31%), paper (4.35%), and residues (0.62%). According to the relative contribution of each waste group, the results indicated that plastics, in its various forms, remains the most dominant category among the observed waste, posing a significant environmental risk that threatens the biodiversity and health of the estuarine ecosystem. Until an effective urban solid waste management model is adopted one that deliberately delays the arrival of such materials on the estuarine banks it will be inevitable that environmental impacts will emerge in the medium and long term. Therefore, there is a need for the different stakeholders Provincial Government, Local Government, the tourism sector, NGOs, and civil society in general to engage in a process that facilitates the creation and implementation of integrated waste management strategies. The aim is to minimise irreversible ecological risks to the Bons Sinais Estuary.