Poço de Varas Dam: A centenary political proposal

Authors

  • José Washington Gonçalves Pereira Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte
  • Cícero Nilton Moreira da Silva Univerisidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v55i0.73622

Keywords:

political history, drought industry, water resources management, oligarchies

Abstract

In order to overcome the problems arising from droughts in the Northeast region of Brazil, the State, throughout its history, decided to invest in the construction of hydraulic systems, especially in dams. In this sense, the present work is a case study about the centenary proposal for the construction of Poço de Varas Dam, which has been present since 1915 in the political scenario of Serra de São Miguel micro-region, in the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Thus, the objectives of this article were to analyze how the dam proposal has historically interfered in the politics and management of water resources in the municipalities of Dr. Severiano, Encanto, Vem Ver, Cel. João Pessoa and, especially, São Miguel. Therefore, in addition to informal conversations and several on-site visits, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the mayors of the municipalities of Cel. João Pessoa and São Miguel, the former infrastructure secretary of the State of Rio Grande do Norte and with the residents who will lose their homes if the  hydraulic systems are built. For the treatment of the collected data, we used Content Analysis, a method created by Bardin (1977) and defended by Silva and Fossá (2013). The results demonstrate how Poço de Varas Dam was politically transformed into the only alternative for the water solution of the municipalities involved in the project, as well as the sovereignty of Fernandes and Torquato families in local power during this period, with the dam as the campaign's flagship.

Author Biographies

José Washington Gonçalves Pereira, Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Licenciado em Geografia pela Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte - UERN. Mestre em Planejamento e Dinâmicas Territoriais do Semiárido - Plandites, pela UERN.

Cícero Nilton Moreira da Silva, Univerisidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Professor Adjunto, do Quadro Permanente, da Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte - UERN. (Campus de Pau dos Ferros-RN), com atividade de pesquisa junto ao Núcleo de Estudos de Geografia Agrária e Regional (NuGAR) e ao Núcleo de Estudos em Educação (NEEd), ambos vinculados à PROPEG/UERN. Faz parte do corpo docente permanente do Programas de Pós-graduação em Ensino (PPGE), mais especificamente do Curso de Mestrado Acadêmico em Ensino (CMAE), bem como do Programa de Pós-graduação em Planejamento e Dinâmicas Territoriais do Semiárido (PLANDITES), ambos sediados no CAMEAM/UERN.

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Published

2020-12-17

How to Cite

Pereira, J. W. G., & da Silva, C. N. M. (2020). Poço de Varas Dam: A centenary political proposal. Desenvolvimento E Meio Ambiente, 55. https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v55i0.73622

Issue

Vol. 55 (2020): Society and environment in the Semiarido: controversies and approaches

Section

Society and environment in the Semiárido: controversies and approaches

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