The São Francisco Basin has 36 major tributaries, of which 19 are perennial. The areas of drainage of these tributaries, except for the Raverde Livarde, are located in the area of the basin not included in the drought region, representing 50% of the total area of the basin. In this study the hydrological behavior of the São Francisco River and its main tributaries was analyzed in relation to the annual data of mean precipitation, mean specific flow and outflow coefficient. The obtained results lead the following conclusions: the studied hydrological variables presented mean values in the second period superior to those of the first one; the studied tributaries that represent 46.3% of the basin area contribute 81% of its flow for the period without the influence of the reservoir accumulation; the sub-basins that present the largest contributions for the formation of the flow of São Francisco River are the ones of the Rivers Paracatu, Grande and Velhas.
mean rainfall; mean discharge; water availability
