On the opposite way to the objectives of sustainable development goals: assessment of water poverty in the estuary region of the Macaé river, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

The rapid population growth driven by the petroleum industry in the city of Macaé/RJ, inefficient control mechanisms and land speculation motivated illegal occupations of specially protected territorial spaces, such as Macaé river’s mangroves. The objective is to compare the conditions of socio-economic and environmental vulnerability that characterize these occupations in the light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) 1 and 6 of the 2030 Agenda : poverty eradication; access to drinking water and sanitation. Given the need to construct indicators, to monitor compliance with the goals associated with SGDs, the application of the Water Poverty Index (WPI) is proposed, adapted to the Communities colony Leocádia Island and Caieira’s Island, aiming to compare the state Environmental impacts of these occupations in terms of adherence to sustainability-promoting conditions for this region. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied to residents of the localities and the results allowed WPI estimation, confirming the situation of severe water poverty and socio-economic vulnerability of the residents of the island of colony Leocádia compared to the island of Caieira, indicating a reality that goes against the 2030 Agenda, demanding public policies promoting estuarine population’s wellbeing, focused on access to water, protection of hydrous resources and solutions based on nature.