Manaus, a metrópole sobre as águas: os igarapés e cacimbas como elementos identitários

Abstract

With its concepts, Geography directs the researcher's analysis so that he/she can interpret facts and realities under the light of science. In this sense, the studies developed in this research bring us back to the reflections of past events in Manaus city, which mischaracterized the “Igarapé de Manaus” stream, in its form and function. This research is the follow-up of the one developed between 2011 – 2013 during the bachelor's degree in tourism at the Amazonas State University - UEA, under the title: The City and Tourism: Manaus' Igarapé as an Element of Manauara Identity. This research had the following question: Which housing and urbanistic intervention projects have subtracted the urban streams from the landscape and what is the influence of such action on the identity of the inhabitants of these areas? Having as objectives: To analyze the residual resistances in the spring area of the Manaus stream occurred during these projects for housing and urbanistic interventions. To investigate the responsibility of the Municipal, State and Federal agents for the landfills and canalization of the urban streams in the urban and housing projects; To compare the urban water network to the historical series from the 1960s to the present day; To assess the influence of these projects on the identity of the washerwomen as residual resistance in urban space. Thus, the discussion addressed urban segregation, hydric and environmental resources of the streams and ditches, the forms of housing implemented by the PROSAMIM/BID partnership, landfill, and canalization of the streams. Having as background, the washerwomen who were pushed from the posture codes upstream of the Manaus creek, where they settled and remain with their practices in the ditches on their second generation. In this social identity relationship, there are local residentes alongside, those affected by the expropriation of the area for the construction of a park entitled "Museus das Águas" which culminates with the landfill and canalization of the stream along its entire length in order to build the Manaus Residential Park and the parks Sen. Paulo Jacob, Bittencourt and Sen. Jefferson Péres. Therefore, the interviews with residents, technicians, engineers, photographic records, and desk and field research were fundamental for understanding the social relations established in space and time that interfered in the urban landscape of the city that became a metropolis.