Tecnologias hídricas para a convivência com o semiárido no município de Livramento-PB: comunidades rurais Carreira de Pedra e Batalha.

Abstract

The general objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of water technologies used by the residentes of the rural communities Carreira de Pedras (CP) and Batalha (BT), located in the municipality of Livramento – PB, to ensure water security within the scope of their needs. The technique applied for data collection was the conducting of home visits, including semi-structured interviews according to a simple random sample of individuals, 35 families, with 18 in the CPcommunity and 17 in the BT community. Information was collected on the number of residentes in the surveyed households, identifyng the water sorage methodologies employed and volumetric contributions, including the multiple uses in each family. Points such as the existence of water treatment means according to the type of use; environmental education concerning the rational use of water and associated natural resources; and related socieconomic aspects were also considered. The information collected was processed using a quali-quantitative approach that allowed the creation of categories quantifiable data for the construction of graphs, tables, and charts to illustrate and enrich the analysis. For the non-quantifiable data the content analysis methodology was used, broken down into blocks of questions with contente related to the theme of the research. It was possible to verify existence of high percentages of the Family with income coming from Federal Government social programs. The water Technologies presente in the surveyed homes were reservoirs, predominantly tube wells with brackish water, and domestic plate cisterns with a capacity of 16.000 liters. The later, as a paradigma of change since the year 2022, being the most widely used technology today, well accepted by communities, constitutes a relevant technology for families. The research participants did not show confidence regarding the perspective of growth and development in the face of the limitation of water resources. It was found that the per capita amount of water in the CP community was approximately 77 liters per day and in the BT community 55 liters per day. These values are below those recommended by the World Health Organization. The respondents reported the absence of the evaluation of the quality of water consumed by families through the local public regulatory agencies. At the same time, the residentes understand the responsibility of the government in supporting them in the implementation of social water Technologies. Thus, the water Technologies used by the residentes of the CP and BT rural communities, aiming at water security within the scope of their needs, meet the demand for water for basic survival, but are not suficiente to promote a significant improvement in the socioeconomic aspect.