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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

Covid-19 experience and water consumption in Brazil

presenters

    Rogéria Campos A. Dutra

    Nationality: Brazil

    Residence: Brazil

    Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora

    Presence:Online

This presentation has the purpose to reveal how Covid-19 Pandemic has affected the perception of Brazilians on water consumption and the way the debate on clean water access has remained in post-covid context. For this purpose, a research was conducted through the major Brazilian news sites over the last four years in order to identify how water issues were associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Brazil holds nearly half of South America’s freshwater reserves having one of the highest water availabilities in the world. However, the perception that the country is blessed with abundant water has not led to consumption awareness of this resource. The Covid-19 Pandemic has worsened health and social inequalities in the country and created new practices of hygiene and sanitary processes as well as drinking water habits impacting on daily water consumption. The investigation of different forms of valuing water provide us an opportunity to broaden our perspective on social and cultural aspects of this natural resource contributing to a better understanding of contemporary challenges involved in its management, which have given rise to debates about urbanization, technology, commodification and governance.

Keywords:

water, consumption, Covid-19 pandemic