Escassez hidrossocial e abastecimento de água: o caso do município de São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

It is understood that the circulation of water in urban spaces is the result of a combination of physical and social aspects. The concept of hydrossocial scarcity considers that the circulation of water in these spaces is directly related to the economic, social and political conditions of the different social groups. This research analyzes, based on official data, the current situation of the water supply in São Gonçalo-RJ in the light of the concept of hydrossocial scarcity, and aims to demonstrate, through a qualitative field research, that the reality can be even more serious than the official figures. In this way will be presented in this research: the way in which the public service of treated water the city is presented; If there is an inequality in supply supply; If there is a shortage of socially produced water (also called water-shortage); And the possible effects on the supply system in a scenario of reduction of the raw water supply in the Imunana-Laranjal system. The results of the research indicates that the situation of access to drinking water within the municipality favors areas with higher socio-economic indicators, besides fomenting and deepening new socioeconomic inequalities and injustices already existing . This hydrossocial scarcity evidenced in São Gonçalo is determined by a management model incapable of satisfying the poorest population. Still, in the future, the socially produced scarcity can be aggravated by the water scarcity which already impacts the Imunana-Laranjal System and tends to worsen in the future, with profound negative consequences on the municipal water and socioeconomic framework.