Characterising the phenomenon of water scarcity in the fast growing federal district of Brasilia

This study deals with the very high dynamic urban region of Brasilia located in a semi-arid climate. The capital of Brazil will only celebrate its 50^th anniversary in 2010 and has a very special urban layout. Originally, only the plano piloto, the present city of Brasilia, was planned by Oscar Niemayer for several hundred thousand inhabitants. At present, the outskirts of Brasilia have become satellite cities on their own, also demanding for technical and building infrastructure, supply and disposal of water, energy, and nutrition. The total agglomeration is growing fast as governmental positions are offered and services needed. Ecologically, the city is not laid out for the provision of millions of people and so scarcity in water is foreseen. Land-use classification have been carried out on the basis of photographs and satellite imageries applying visual and quantitative methodologies. On the basis of remote sensing data and census data the fast urban development can be made out and the water consumption per household will be incorporated in the GIS analysis. A special case is the project partner caesb being highly concerned about the outcome of land-use dynamics and socio-economic implications.