Gênero e gestão da água na Aldeia Arapiranga, Rio Arapiuns, Pará

Abstract

The Arapiranga village, belonging to the Arara Vermelha ethnic group, located in the region of the lower Arapiuns River, in the municipality of Santarém – PA, is an example of female protagonism with regard to the struggles and important achievements achieved by the indigenous people of this region, among which is the implementation of a microsystem to supply drinking water to the families who live there. The objective of this research is to characterize the relationships of access and management of water in the Arapiranga village, considering the gender perspective and the variables of the evolution of sanitation conditions and life quality. This is an exploratory, quantitative research, in which secondary data were used and fieldwork was carried out, which enabled the collection of primary data through a questionnaire applied to 26 (twenty-six) people, and included 15 (fifteen) residences out of a total of 23 (twenty three) located in the village. The questionnaires allowed us to identify the social roles of gender in sanitation and in the daily life of the community. The results obtained reveal the benefits and the significant improvement in the quality of life that the installation of a micro water supply system for the villagers represented, with a view to reducing diseases related to water consumption, and also in what concerns refers to the distance that used to be traveled daily to the river to collect water. In addition, differences in the gender perspective in relation to water among the indigenous people were verified, which reinforce the need to implement management strategies that consider the gender approach.