Saneamento e qualidade de vida: um estudo na terra indígena Jaraguá, São Paulo - SP

Abstract

The precariousness of sanitation plays a central role in the vulnerability of the Brazilian population. This problem is even more worrying in indigenous villages, in different regions of the country, as aspects related to basic needs for health and quality of life collide with historical processes such as social, environmental and efficient changes. In this sense, the main cause of indigenous death is due to parasitic diseases, as a result of poor sanitation conditions. The eating, cultural and hygiene habits, unique to this population, are also mentioned. In the northern part of the city of São Paulo is located the Jaraguá Indigenous Land, which currently has six villages. Its residents live in a precarious situation of housing and basic sanitation, which results in the incidence of parasitic diseases, especially those caused by water. In order to contribute information that seem to minimize the situation of vulnerability in the Jaraguá Indigenous Land, this research evaluated the effects of poor basic sanitation on the quality of life of the residents. The study was conducted using an exploratory qualitative approach, based on participant observation and documentary research. Records of diseases related to the most recurrent environmental contamination problems in the local Basic Health Unit were imported, identifying the types of basic sanitation problems in the villages and incorporated with health agents and indigenous leaders so that sustainable solutions were accepted that would allow the improvement and maintenance of sanitation, taking into account cultural and religious aspects of the indigenous people. Based on the health records and the textual analysis of the interviews, it was possible to identify the misuse of community toilets, in many cases leaving the sewer open, as a result of the lack of environmental education. Part of the indigenous people do not see the traditional structures of bathrooms as something inherent to their habits. A sustainable solution idealized by indigenous leaders and health agents would be the installation of the so-called “wetland area” wetlands, an artificial technology for natural treatment to remove pollutants from the generated effluents, minimizing the contamination of soil and water bodies that cut through the villages. The research findings allowed us to conclude that the Jaraguá Indigenous Land is inserted in the context of the city of São Paulo, therefore, the conditions observed may not be exclusive to the community, but rather to the entire region surrounding the reserve. Furthermore, attention is drawn to the fact that any sustainable practice will have no effect if there is no constant and hard work of environmental education, with a focus on basic sanitation, for the local community, which must be planned and carried out together with the leaders of the Jaraguá Indigenous Land.