Saneamento e vulnerabilidade social: estratégias de acesso aos serviços de saneamento em Salvador

Abstract

Sanitation is essential to health and human dignity. Still, its provision has historically been marked by inequality in service to different segments of society, particularly those living in rural areas or on the outskirts of urban centers, which are often characterized by socio-spatial segregation. The absence or precariousness of access to sanitation constitutes the main indicator of population vulnerability. The recognition of the Right to Water and Sanitation (RWAS) is a worthy achievement, but it still requires considerable effort to achieve. Given the scope of the topic and the relevance of discussing the provision of sanitation services within urban conflicts, as well as the impacts of regulatory and political-institutional issues on the sector, we chose, in this work, to address primarily the components of Water Supply and Sanitation, here referred to as Basic Sanitation (BS), in an urban area of the municipality of Salvador, characterized as at risk and socially vulnerable. Given this issue, the study, Sanitation and Social Vulnerability: Strategies for Access to Sanitation Services in Salvador, aims to provide support for developing strategies aimed at universalizing access to basic sanitation services in areas of risk and social vulnerability, based on the collective development of a Socio-Territorial Development Plan (PDST) for the study area. The concepts that structure this reflection and proposal are sanitation and social vulnerability, and the research is exploratory in nature, involving the systematization and analysis of secondary data as well as the production of primary data. The technique used was the semi-structured interview, which allows for flexible data collection and tailoring of content to the specific needs of the interviewees. Nine interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from November to January 2024, selected through convenience sampling. The research results demonstrate a lack of understanding of some concepts and roles inherent to sanitation; disarticulation between spheres of government; regulatory weaknesses; gaps in communication and information; The predominance of social risks and vulnerabilities related to low income, deficient public safety, diseases caused by lack of sanitation, water insecurity, health insecurity, youth out of school, and informal work/unemployment. As a requirement for the Professional Master's degree, this study proposes the development of a Social Management Technology (SMT), understood as an innovative solution to social problems developed and implemented with community participation, combining technical-scientific and popular knowledge. It consists of two stages: the first, involving theoretical and experiential training, encompassing three training tracks with themes identified from the interviewees' accounts, aiming to create a foundation for the co-construction of solutions based on the Social Management (SM) principles of dialogicity, participation, and democracy; and the second, the production of subsidies to support the collective construction of a Socioterritorial Development Plan (PDST) for the study area, based on the convergence of the three training tracks. The TGS is presented as a methodological and political alternative that contributes to strengthening social participation, expanding institutional capacity, and promoting equity in access to sanitation services.