"Fora Saneouro, a água é do povo": social representations of residents of Ouro Preto, Brazil, on the privatization of water and sanitation services

Abstract

The privatization of water and sanitation services constitutes a significant debate worldwide. Contrary to the trend in other countries, Brazil has been moving toward the privatization of these essential services. Within this scenario is the historic city of Ouro Preto, where water and sanitation services were privatized in 2019, leading to the formation of a broad popular movement against privatization. In this context, this study aimed to identify and analyze the social representations of the local population regarding the privatization of these services. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with native residents of the city, whose ages ranged from 26 to 90 years. The results point to the residents' dissatisfaction with the service provision by the private company, with privatization being perceived as a "great evil," anchored in values and conceptions aligned with anti-privatization groups. Remunicipalization emerges as the residents' desire and the possible path to achieving social justice and the realization of human rights.