The river, the man, the drama

Abstract

The South Paraíba River Basin is historically marked by disasters generated from waste materials carried off by industrial sewers. The discontinuity of water supply to the population and the killing of fish are recurring events since the intensification of urban and industrial development. This essay analyzes, from an ethnographical register, the consequences of the Cataguazes Paper Industry’s disaster in 2003, under the point of view of fishermen in Gargaú, a small village located in the mouth of the river. The work discusses, within the field of anthropology, the risk liability as well as the social and environmental inequality of the traditional northern coastline population of the Rio de Janeiro State.

Keywords

• Desastres ambientais. Bacia do Paraíba do Sul. Pescadores artesanais. Desigualdade ambiental.