Banca de DEFESA: RAVENA VALCÁCER DE MEDEIROS

THE BASIC SANITATION IN CAICÓ/RN: AN INDICATOR OF MUTILATE CITIZENSHIP

Basic sanitation. Systems of objects and systems of actions. Peripheral sanitation. Citizenship. Caicó.

This study focuses on public policies for basic sanitation in Caicó, Rio Grande do Norte, based on the understanding that these policies are essential for guaranteeing the right to sanitation. Based on this assertion, the research was developed guided by the following question: how did public policies on basic sanitation in Caicó, between 2007 and 2026, distribute sanitation systems and actions throughout the territory, contributing to the realization of this right as an aspect of citizenship? This question was also accompanied by the following inquiries: How has basic sanitation historically presented itself in Brazil in terms of its performance and nature? How did the distribution of sanitation systems and actions occur in Seridó, Rio Grande do Norte? What are the effects of the distribution of sanitation systems on local socio-spatial dynamics? What effects did the implementation of actions and objects in the city of Caicó have on the right to basic sanitation and what were the consequences for citizenship? As for the hypothesis, these policies have reproduced and exacerbated social inequalities, causing peripheral health care and the scourge of citizenship among the lower classes of this city, who occupy areas where health care systems and actions are scarce, unlike the elite, whose rights are more assured. It should be noted that sanitation is also an important aspect and indicator of citizenship, given its correlation with a set of basic rights, such as health and housing. Considering the problematic nature of the topic, the general objective was to understand the implementation of public policies for basic sanitation in Caicó between 2007 and 2026, in terms of the territorial distribution of sanitation systems and their contributions to the realization of this right as an aspect of citizenship. This objective was aided by the following specific objectives: to characterize sanitation systems and actions in terms of their performance and distribution in Brazil from a historical perspective; to understand the territorial distribution of sanitation systems and actions in the Seridó region of Rio Grande do Norte and their relationship with local socio-spatial dynamics; to analyze the implementation of basic sanitation policies in Caicó, in terms of the realization of this right and its effects on citizenship. Thus, we use the concepts of basic sanitation, public policy, and the ramifications and correlations of these concepts on citizenship, territory, and space, through the use of technology. Thus, we conducted bibliographic research on this sector in Brazil, urban planning, the production of urban space, the right to basic sanitation, social inequalities caused by state actions and the market, space and territory, systems of objects and systems of actions, technology, and social exclusion. As for the local reality, the bibliographic research covered the production of urban space in Caicó, based on the materialization of these state actions and their contributions to socio-spatial dynamics. With regard to documentary research, we developed analyses of public policies of this nature and those that are correlated (such as housing) implemented in the city of Caicó between 2007 and 2026 - 2007 being the beginning of the sector's formal commitment to more intersectoral actions at the national level. Finally, we conducted field research in five cities in Seridó potiguar, focusing on the regional management of some of these systems, such as water supply. However, field research was conducted mainly in the city of Caicó, focusing on the health and social aspects of these state actions, the support given to the target audience, and alignment with other policies. Based on the analyses carried out, we found that there is a verticalization of the scarcity of sanitary sewage and stormwater drainage systems from the national and regional levels down to Caicó. This reflects the fragmentation of the sector, which has historically prioritized actions aimed at water supply and serving commercial interests, despite the fulfillment of the social functions of the Brazilian state. Furthermore, in Brazil, this sanitation system is also the one with the highest financial return, reinforcing the understanding of basic sanitation as a commodity and/or facilitator of commercial activities. This understanding can also be seen in the New Legal Framework for Basic Sanitation, corroborating that the sanitation deficit is perpetuated, in addition to the mutilation of citizenship, given the correlation between basic sanitation and other rights, such as health and housing.