Método de valoração de contingência – disposição a pagar (DAP) pelo recurso “água” no município de Meruoca/Ce.

Abstract

Water is a cultural reference and a social essential to adequate quality of life. This study aims to analyze the socio-economic profile of the water users to measure the ability to pay for use of the resource, make a survey of sources of supply (CAGECE, SAAE, river, deep well, cacimbão, etc..) In the municipality of Meruoca / EC to evaluate from the perspective of the respondents the quality of water supplied to the user of Municipalities of Meruoca / EC, estimating an average value of water in the municipality Meruoca / EC, to estimate a demand function for the willingness to pay for water resources. The research is quantitative and qualitative, for contingent valuation method, performed in the city of Meruoca - CE, between September of 2010 to April of 2011, with sample of 50 respondents. We used a questionnaire as a tool in order to analyze results according to the formula suggested by Eutrirak & Grandstaff, having as its result the important value-added to the water resources assigned to scenario C, characterized by natural resources, and the method of least squares Ordinaries obtained by analyzing the coefficients of the explanatory variables, considering the gender significance in Scenario A, schooling and income in scenario B, and precipitates, income and gender in scenario C, performing the respective tests of specification for the problems of the chosen model, heteroscedasticity and auto -correlation. Set a price on water resources tends to bias estimates, while we can not say the likelihood of participants' responses, but draw the profile of the types of supplies and with the help of statistical packages can appraise according to the expectations of the resource water in the region.