Projeto Lagoa Paulino: o estudo de suas condições ecológicas através de uma abordagem investigativa

Abstract

The water crisis is a global phenomenon that represents losses in the water availability and quality. Reflecting the poor management, this crisis is widely observed in the Brazilian water bodies. For instance, the urban lakes, which name the municipality of Sete Lagoas (State of Minas Gerais), present levels of pollution and anthropic eutrophication that led the Municipal Environment and Sustainability Department to classify their waters as Class 4, according to the regulations of CONAMA Resolution 357/2005. The Paulino Lake, located in the central region, is the most degraded. Although there is prohibitive municipal legislation, its waters have been inappropriately used for bathing, fishing and car washing, which demonstrates the need for participatory management and demeanor from the Sete Lagoas population for conserving of this environment. In this context, the Paulino Lake Project was developed aiming to formally promote the Ethical-Social Environmental Education for students of the 3rd year of high school in a public school in that municipality, in the school year of 2018. Based on the research approach, the project was developed in six stages: presentation; diagnostic evaluation or initial survey; on-site observation and lectures; experimental activity with physical-chemical and microbiological analyzes; preparation of educational materials; final assessment and evaluation of the project by the students. Through research activities (on-site observations and experiments) and the final evaluations, it was verified the students' background in historicalcultural, legal and scientific knowledge, important aspects for the re-signification of the relations established with this environment. In addition, the dissemination of the educational materials informed the members of the school community about the current state of the Paulino Lake and the health risks due the inappropriate use of its waters. Thus, in view of the experience provided by the Paulino Lake Project, it is suggested that it could be expanded to an interschool project for monitoring of ecological conditions of the urban lakes in Sete Lagoas.