Gestão ambiental e a participação social em programas urbanos em Belém: o Programa de Saneamento da Estrada Nova

Abstract

Social participation is one of the hallmarks of Brazil's redemocratization from the 1990s onward. During this period in the city of Belém, social movements were connected to the struggle for better living conditions, particularly in the lowland (floodplain) areas of the city. The demand for sanitation and macro-drainage projects became one of their key issues. These areas have a history of unplanned occupation and have grown on the fringes of sanitation, health, safety, and leisure services. Additionally, the floodplains are floodprone areas, and with intense urbanization, flooding has become one of the biggest problems, causing socio-environmental disruptions and material losses for their inhabitants. In response to this reality, in 2005, the city government created the Sanitation Program of the Estrada Nova Basin – PROMABEN, inspired by the residents of the lowland areas of the Estrada Nova watershed (comprising the neighborhoods of Jurunas, Condor, Cremação, Guamá, Cidade Velha, Batista Campos, São Brás) since the 1990s. The program aimed to develop sanitation and macro-drainage works in the area, benefiting more than 300,000 residents directly and indirectly. PROMABEN was designed from the perspective of the democratic city management model, thus social participation is an obligatory component of this program, also guaranteed in the operational policies of its main financier, the IDB. Consequently, the Community Participation Program (PPC) of PROMABEN was created, which aims to include mechanisms for perception and social involvement of the residents, ensuring transparent and democratic intervention, enabling the discussion of social demands and aspirations. This study's main objective is to analyze social participation in the Estrada Nova basin through the actions of PROMABEN. To structure the thesis, the work was divided into six chapters. To achieve the defined objectives, three important stages were considered: the first involved secondary data collection, the second involved interviews with program technicians and community leaders in the area, and the last involved data analysis and results. Based on the collected results, it was possible to create a participation indicator, developed from the relationship between the interviewees' perceptions and the results indicators signaled by the PPC. These indicators were divided into three main groups to facilitate analysis (Quality of life, Strengthening of organizations, and Social and environmental improvements). The Quality of life indicator was considered poor, the Strengthening of organizations indicator was evaluated as poor, and Social and environmental improvements were seen as moderate. It is believed that the social organization of the basin's residents has promoted various socio-environmentalimprovements, but these are not directly linked to PROMABEN. The social initiatives showed that they are an attempt by residents to bring dignity to the area, which continues to suffer from political neglect and lacks sanitation, education, health, and leisure services. According to the residents interviewed, social participation within the program was seen as limited and simplistic, and thus did not contribute significantly to transforming the area's socio-environmental reality.