Gestão e uso dos recursos hídricos e a expansão do agronegócio: água para quê e para quem?

Abstract

This article aims to conduct an analysis of the correlation between the management and use of water resources with the expansion of agri - business and its reflections in environmental and human contamination, pointing toward challeng - es for SUS in the area of monitoring pesticides in water for human consumption. It is qualitative study with an adopted methodological framework of the case study, applied in an area of agribusi - ness expansion in the semi-arid region of the state of Ceará. The results demonstrate that there exists an unequal relationship in the management and use of water, in which agribusiness in Ceará is pri - oritized for access to water at the expense of the great majority of the rural population. As a result, pesticide contamination of surface and ground water brings challenges to surveillance of the con - trol of pesticides in water for human consump - tion. In this sense, we present alternatives to de - velop health services with more effective actions in surveillance of health in general, and of Vigiagua in particular, such as: overcoming the fragmenta - tion of vision and intervention regarding health problems; human exposure to multiple pesticides; the lack of laboratories and trained professionals; and enlarging the dissemination of information to the users of water .