Participação comunitária como estratégia de gestão de microbacia hidrográfica visando a sustentabilidade do abastecimento público de água

Abstract

The strategic importance of water for the economic and social development of society demands conflict prevention and mediation mechanisms among users who gain proportions in water security management. It is essential to have defined structures to manage this competition for use, establishing priorities based on public interests and seeking a balance with the vocation of economic development in the regions. From these reflections, the objective of this work was to identify management strategies that provide greater protection of water in catchments, where rural activities compete with public supply. For this, field data collection was used with the application of structured interviews to farmers of the Arroio Fundo catchment, inserted in the Paraná watershed 3. Parallel to the interviews, environmental vulnerability was verified in the study area with the identification and classification of potential hazards and risks existing at the site. This information was cross-referenced with the results of the interviews in order to investigate the possibility of farmers participation in the management of the catchment. It was found that farmers have clear perceptions of the risks and dangers that the practice of their activities causes water quality, with 48.6% of them willing to participate in catchment management and 34.3% perhaps, depending on motivational and temporal adjustments. Their preferences for obtaining information on water management are meetings or lectures held in the community itself (37.1%), followed by individual discussions with professionals in the area (31.4%). From the results, it was observed the farmer as a linking agent between the management actions and the Arroio Fundo catchment, that is, the farmers as an important element of success or failure in the management processes. This is why it is believed that processes that consider strategies of involvement and recognition of the power of action of farmers will be more successful. It is suggested as a strategy of management the creation of a local catchment committee, which has both connection with farmer sand access to decision makers, promoting bottom-up initiatives in line with top-down resolutions.