Urban expansion and its impact on water security: The case of the Paraíba do Sul River Basin, São Paulo, Brazil.

Increasing demand for water is one of the most challenging problems that human societies face today and has encouraged new studies to examine water security and water management. Seeking to discuss this important issue in the Brazilian context, we analyzed the impacts of urban expansion on water security in a basin located in the most populated region of Brazil. To quantify increased water demand, we combined urban sprawl and regional population increase projections.