SANITATION AND ELDERLY WOMEN: THE REALITY OF WATER ACCESS IN BREVES-MARAJÓ (PA)

REALIDADE DO ACESSO À ÁGUA EM BREVES-MARAJÓ (PA)

Abstract

Water is essential to human life, people have basic needs that cannot be met without it, as it is indispensable. However, its poor quality causes damage to public health. The objective of this work is to expose some of the difficulties faced in the western Marajó -Municipality of Breves (PA) - by elderly women to have water in their homes, along with reflections in relation to the social damage caused by the inefficiency of the basic sanitation policy in the region. The methodology was based on bibliographic, documentary and field research (carried out throughout the participation as a research project scholarship holder, under the coordination of teacher Ana Maria Smith Santos from 2019 to 2021). Therefore, it was found that the problems arising from failing public policies such as basic sanitation in the locality, with an emphasis on water supply, cause risks to physical and psychological health and marked the life trajectory of this social group, a fact that is noticeable in the reports of the scars left by this constant struggle to obtain drinking water for their families. This time, talking about water is to understand that in addition to being a human right, an urgent and urgent need, it should be an issue treated with priority. However, the State has not yet implemented concrete measures to intervene in the situation to alleviate the difficulties. Thus, the notorious worsening of demand was highlighted in newspapers and websites throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.