Estudo de caso: cisterna urbana, em Várzea do Poço, Bahia

Abstract

The case study shows how families from the urban area of the municipality of Várzea do Poço, in the semi-arid North of Bahia, succeed in supplying water for human consumption through urban cisterns. The supply in the center and at the outskirts of the city occurs through the network of pipes, whose water comes from the São José do Jacuípe Dam, with capture in the community of Barra Nova, treated and supplied by EMBASA. Due to the salinization of the dam in recent years, the salt content is increasing, making water inappropriate for human consumption. The residents rescued and improved techniques for storing rainwater in cisterns as a way to solve the problem of lack of water suitable for human consumption and preparation of food. The remaining domestic demands continue to be achieved by the public water supply. A very positive aspect is the diversification of the size of the cisterns, adapting them to the local urban land structure and the size of the families. A group of religious advises the community, mobilizing resources, organizing families, articulating partners and assisting them in forming militancy and managing a revolving fund that allows extend the project to be extended continuously to new families.