Insegurança hídrica domiciliar no município de Forquilha, Ceará, Brasil

Abstract

Household water insecurity refers to the situation of difficulties of access to water in quality and sufficient quantity to maintain the well-being of the household. This situation has negative results in families reflected in great efforts to obtain water. This research addressed the insecurity of water in domiciliary terms in a municipality in the Brazilian semiarid region affected by successive droughts and that presents large population contingent in situation of vulnerability. Its main objective was to understand household water insecurity through socioeconomic indicators and water infrastructure, establishing relationships between urban and rural areas. The research was developed in the municipality of Forquilha, located in the state of Ceará, Brazil. Questionnaires were applied (n = 321) with questions about water for domestic activities and other variables that influence the obtaining of water for the household, such as income, family composition, among others. We used the factorial and exploratory analysis of spatial data to verify the spatial relationship between household water insecurity and social vulnerability. Main results show flaws in water supply services in the municipality causing the population to need to use several sources of supply. Problems of unavailability of water, poor quality and access were recurrent, thus identifying and characterizing the levels of household water insecurity that raise the understanding and debate on public policies aimed at accessing sufficient and quality water to the household in order to ensure water security in the semiarid regions of Brazil.