PAIVA, K. R.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/4086795307580239; PAIVA, Kaline Rodrigues de.
Abstract:
Access to potable water for human consumption has been a historic challenge
for individuals who inhabit the Brazilian semi-arid region. In recent decades,
however, there have been changes in the dominant forms of access, with
emphasis on the development of bottled water markets, sold in 20-liter bottles.
Given this panorama, this work aims to describe and analyze the social and
emotional dynamics of the bottled water market in the municipality of Damião/PB,
located in the semi-arid region of Paraíba and with a population of 4.982
inhabitants. The development of the water market in this municipality
accompanied the collapse of the public water distribution system, aggravating the
always precarious conditions of water supply in the region, articulating dynamics
of commodification of water with great challenges to the exercise of water
citizenship for its inhabitants. The research involved the mapping of reception
spaces and interviews with merchants and customers, in order to reveal how the
expansion of the bottled water market institutes new ways of expressing the right
to water in the semi-arid region of Paraíba.
