Impact on Health and Environment from the Viewpoint of the Families Affected by the Installation of the Foz Do Chapeco Hydroelectric Power Plant in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil

摘要

Objective To analyze the impact on health and environment from the perspective of families affected by the installation of the Foz do Chapeco Hydroelectric Power Plant in the state of Santa Catarina/Brazil. Method This was study conducted with 13 farming families affected by the reservoir of the power plant, whose data were collected through interviews. The analysis was based on the methodology of thematic analysis with the construction of categories. Results The analytical categories were: "Social and environmental changes experienced by families" and "The impacts on health resulting from the change of the environment". The effect on human health due to the environmental changes caused by the hydroelectric power plant may have physical or mental nature, which is reflected in feelings of insecurities that should be considered as a risk to trigger health problems and changes in the quality of life of this population. It was observed that the surveyed families were very linked to the place where they lived, and that the departure from their places of origin entailed cultural losses and social disruptions. They left strong feelings of distress and insecurity about the future. Some of them express the feeling of discomfort with the houses and working conditions found in the new place where they started to live. Regarding the environment, the surveyed families recognize that there has been a big change with alterations in flora and weather. They also highlighted that the change of the natural environment produced impacts on human health that are mainly manifested in the form of diseases such as depression, hypertension, insomnia and alcoholism. Conclusion the change of the environment with the installation of a hydroelectric power plant entailed social, economic, environmental and health impacts to the affected population. The different sectors involved in the licensing process should adopt new ways of assessing impacts at the time of implementation of this type of enterprise.