Água que (des)nutre: realidade hídrica no distrito Raspador, em Ribeira do Pombal/Bahia

Abstract

The reproduction of life and socio-environmental integrity in the semi-arid region of Bahia are supported by the hydric metabolism between the populations and their territory, making access to surface and groundwater the foundation of their "inorganic body." In semi-arid regions, scarcity, although frequently naturalized as a climatic phenomenon, reveals itself to be a socially produced scarcity. In this context, water—an indispensable element for human dignity—is subordinated to the logic of the commodification of nature, which causes the obliteration of its use value in favor of commodification, deepening inequalities and territorial conflicts. High evaporation rates make artesian wells essential for human consumption, public health, and sustainable development. This thesis investigates the socio-metabolic disruption in the District of Raspador, located in the municipality of Ribeira do Amparo, Bahia, analyzing water quality, availability, and distribution mechanisms through the lens of water justice. The research uses the hypothetical-deductive method and a qualitative-quantitative approach, in addition to a literature and document review, contrasting technical-laboratory indicators with the community's subjective perception of the problem. The methodological procedures involve cartographic analysis and geoprocessing as tools to unveil the production of space, alongside semi-structured interviews and microbiological analyses conducted at both the well and the distribution network within the study area. The results confirm the hypothesis that access to drinking water in the Raspador District is marked by a severe fracture in the social metabolism, characterized by "manufactured uncertainties" regarding potability. Contamination by coliforms and Escherichia coli evidences a structural failure in sanitation and the protection of water sources, exposing the population to health risks and socio-environmental vulnerability. Furthermore, the precarious distribution, restricted to only once a week for 87% of the residents, constitutes a process of water enclosure, completely at odds with the water security standards and fundamental human rights established by the Ministry of Health and the National Water Resources Policy. This occurs while 67% of the community does not perform any domestic water disinfection treatment, even though only 11% of this community uses the well water for drinking. The investigation reveals that control over the well and the water remains captured by local political and economic interests, which limits community autonomy and mimics a simulacrum of social participation where the people are prevented from influencing the actual substance of their lives. In light of this, the urgency of Critical Environmental Education emerges as a praxis of resistance, aiming for the collective appropriation of knowledge so that the community can reject the external and bureaucratic control that treats it as a "sacrifice zone." Aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation), this thesis proposes, as an educational product, a community didactic-pedagogical booklet. This instrument aims to strengthen the community's territorial and scientific sovereignty, serving as a seed to germinate the awareness that social wealth and water security derive solely from organized labor in harmonic interaction with nature, restoring the command of use value over the territory.