“Nobody comes onto my land to remove one single pipe!” Conflicts over water and hydro business in the region of Recôncavo Baiano

“Sur ma terra, personne n’entre pour enlever un tuyau!” Conflits autour de l’eau et l’hydrobusiness dans le Recôncavo Baiano

Abstract

This article analyzes the conflicts over water resulting from a process of de-re-territorialization of riverside families affected by the construction of the Pedra do Cavalo dam, in the 1980s, in the region of Recôncavo Baiano. The investigation is based on a qualitative methodology, focusing on a case study in which we conducted semi-structured interviews with resettled families in Agrovila do Sobrado, in the Municipality of Cabaceiras do Paraguaçu. Through interpretations based on the literature and perspectives of political ecology, environmental justice and critical geography, the results have demonstrated that the impacts of “hydro business” on these families has led to three types of water conflicts, resulting from: (1) forced displacement caused by the construction of the dam; (2) a lack of access to water, both in quality and quantity, on the new territory; and, (3) the loss of free access to community water sources essential for maintaining reproductive activities. Thus, the lives of the families affected by the dam are characterized by an incessant struggle against various forms of dispossession and by defending the right to water commons.

Keywords:
Right to water; Environmental; Conflicts; (De-re)territorialization; Water commons; Hydroelectric; project