Water-human relationship analysis: a case study in Mogi-Guaçu river basin, region of São Carlos-SP

• Grant number: 12/12346-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Frederico Yuri Hanai
• Grantee: Vinicius Perez Dictoro
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The use of water for various uses by society made the relationship between man and nature and therefore its relationship with the water to become modified over time. Rivers, streams, lakes and springs play a key role in the production and social reproduction and symbolic way of life, ensuring water to serve the various uses and demands by traditional societies riverside. These societies assign values to the waters that are distinct from those used by the urban-industrial. Thus, it is necessary to the historical and cultural relationship between man and water, essential for understanding the ways of conservation and responsible use of water, constantly valued by traditional riverine communities and often lacking in today's society urbanized. The overall objective of this research is to analyze the different ways that water is being used by society, both historically and culturally, to understand the various relationships between men and water and its different forms of conservation and use, in order to provide scenarios for the responsible use of water. This research employs the set of three steps with systematic procedures for obtaining data and results: The literature documents, scientific articles, reports, books, and theses that address the topic; understanding the relationship of traditional communities with water, through survey reports; and case studies with the use of questionnaires by interview to urban dwellers in São Carlos-SP and rural residents of the river Mogi-Guaçu, located in the central region of the state of São Paulo. This project will provide a better understanding of the different relations between men and water to thereby identify key elements that will subsidize the development of future projects, initiatives, and proposals aimed at environmental awareness on water conservation.(AU).