Water Conflicts and Socioterritorial Dynamics: The Hydrosocial Cycle After the São Francisco River Transposition Project in the Northeast of Brazil

Jaqueline Guimarães Santos and Antonio A. R. Ioris ()
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Jaqueline Guimarães Santos: Public Management Department, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa 58051-900, Brazil
Antonio A. R. Ioris: School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3WA, UK

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: The implementation of large-scale water infrastructure projects, such as the São Francisco River Integration Project with the Northeastern Hydrographic Basins (PISF), causes territorial transformations of great proportions, constituting a new hydrosocial cycle, resulting in hydrosocial territories in which not only water but also power relations and socioeconomic and physical resources circulate. In this sense, this article aims to historically analyze the interconnection between water and land issues in the Brazilian Northeast, shedding light on the territorial dynamics produced by the new hydrosocial cycle constituted by the implementation of the largest water project in the country. To this end, we interviewed actors from different groups and in various locations, conducted on-site field research, and collected and systematically analyzed important documents from the institutional websites of the Brazilian government. The main results of the research indicate that since the implementation of the PISF, a context of deep and historical political and socioeconomic inequalities in hydrosocial territories has been impacted, which has deepened conflicts over land and water and increased socio-spatial injustices. Contrary to most available approaches, which consider water scarcity a ‘natural’ (hydrological) problem that requires technical and administrative solutions, the water problem reflects the profound asymmetry of power consolidated over time and the strength of the reactionary agrarian sectors that control the State apparatus.

Keywords: land and water interaction; water project; hydrosocial territory; hydrosocial cycle; water conflicts; Brazil (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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