Políticas públicas de enfrentamento à problemática da seca no semiárido mineiro: uma análise do programa água para todos na perspectiva da avaliação de quarta geração

Abstract

The issue of water scarcity is a worldwide problem of multiple causes and consequences, affecting mainly the poorest regions of the planet. In Brazil, the problem of water scarcity, mainly related to drought, has chronically affected the Brazilian semi-arid region for more than four centuries, imposing restrictions on access to water for consumption, production and feeding of herds, which generate economic and social consequences, such as the extreme poverty of the resident population in the region. Due to its climatic, environmental and demographic characteristics, the semi-arid region has been the target of public policies since the beginning of the 20th century in Brazil, since then several governmental actions, and more recently articulations with civil society, have been carried out in order to promote access to water to the populations of the semiarid and consequently to improve the quality of life of these people, mainly in rural area. One of these policies is the Programa Água para Todos, launched by the Federal Government in 2011, with the goal of universal access to water for the consumption and production of families living in rural areas in the Brazilian semi-arid region, aiming at improving the quality of life, food and nutrition security, and income generation. The present work was developed with the objective of evaluating the effectiveness of the Water for All Program in Minas Gerais, using as a case of analysis the municipality of Bonito de Minas, located in the North of the same State. The methodology used was Forth Generation Evaluation, proposed by Guba and Lincoln (1989). The methodology has a participatory and responsive nature and was elaborated on a social and constructivist paradigm and, based on the assumption, that reality is socially constructed through social interactions. The results of the evaluation point to the effectiveness of the Programa Água para Todos in the municipality of Bonito de Minas, although there are some problems in the implementation of part of the program's component technologies