Abstract Household water insecurity refers to difficulties accessing water of sufficient quality and quantity to maintain human well-being. Although this fundamental right is a premise for survival, it is not always guaranteed. This article aims to verify whether there is a correlation between household water insecurity and social vulnerability in the semi-arid region of Ceará. For this purpose, the "Household Water Insecurity Experiences - HWISE" protocol was applied to households to investigate the various problems related to water and household water supply problems. Statistical exploratory data analysis techniques were used through factor analysis, clusters, and spatial correlation to verify the spatial relationship between water insecurity and social vulnerability. The main results show that although there is a situation of household water insecurity, its connection with social vulnerability is more pronounced in urban areas. In rural areas, where vulnerability is higher, the presence of multiple water supply sources such as cisterns and water tankers conveys a higher sense of water security to the population, both in terms of access and availability of water for household consumption. Based on the achieved results, it is evident that household water insecurity requires the consideration of a wide range of factors, and its assessment cannot be accomplished solely through the use of a synthetic indicator of social vulnerability.

Resumo Insegurança hídrica domiciliar refere-se à situação de dificuldades de acesso a água em qualidade e quantidade suficiente a manutenção do bem-estar humano. Embora seja uma premissa para a sobrevivência esse direito básico, por vezes não é assegurado. Este artigo tem como objetivo verificar se há correlação entre a insegurança hídrica domiciliar e a vulnerabilidade social no semiárido cearense. Para isso aplicou-se o protocolo “Household Water Insecurity Experiences - HWISE” nos agregados familiares visando investigar os diversos problemas relacionados a água e ao abastecimento hídrico domiciliar. Utilizou-se técnicas estatísticas da análise exploratória de dados por meio da análise fatorial, de agrupamentos e de correlação espacial para verificar a relação espacial entre insegurança hídrica e a vulnerabilidade social. Os principais resultados mostram que embora haja um quadro de insegurança hídrica domiciliar, a relação desta com a vulnerabilidade social é mais acentuada nas áreas urbanas. Nas áreas rurais, onde a vulnerabilidade é maior, a existência de múltiplas fontes de abastecimento como as cisternas e os carros pipa passam para a população uma sensação mais elevada de segurança hídrica, tanto no acesso como na disponibilidade de água para o consumo domiciliar. Mediante os resultados atingidos evidencia-se que a insegurança hídrica domiciliar pressupõe a consideração de ampla gama de fatores e sua avaliação não pode ser conseguida mediante somente a utilização de indicador sintético de vulnerabilidade social.

Abstract Throughout history, humankind has lived through many crises arising from pandemics, and it is currently in the midst of one. Coronavirus disease, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is causing serious problems related to public health and socioeconomic status across the globe. Having started in Asia, the disease has already reached Europe, Africa, and more recently the Americas; hence, it is necessary to understand the context in which it spreads in regions that carry high risks associated with social vulnerability, as in the case of Latin America. Brazil is the South American country most affected by the pandemic-its first case was confirmed at the end of February 2020, and in less than two months, its total number of cases has already crossed 25,000. Among its worst-hit states, Ceará in Northeast Brazil worries health agencies as there have already been more than 2,000 cases in the 30 days of the outbreak in the state. Even more worrying is its capital Fortaleza, which has become the epicenter of the spread of the disease in Ceará, accounting for 86.5% cases and 67% deaths in the state-95% of the neighborhoods in Fortaleza have confirmed cases of the disease. An aspect that particularly causes concern is the disease’s diffusion, from neighborhoods with the highest family income to those with the lowest, directly affecting the socially vulnerable populations in territories with a majority of precarious settlements; in Fortaleza, favelas are the main type of precarious settlements (73.6%). The analyses presented as part of this research can assist in identifying priority areas for state intervention through family assistance resources.

ResumoA eclosão da crise ambiental global, a intensificação da ocupação irregular dos ambientes mais frágeis, a precariedade das condições socioeconômicas dos grupos sociais vulnerabilizados e a percepção da intensificação da ocorrência de desastres naturais fizeram com que as questões relativas às vulnerabilidades e aos riscos ocupassem papel de destaque na sociedade contemporânea. A crescente deflagração das situações de crise, associada ao aumento do número de atingidos e aos prejuízos associados, desencadeou a necessidade de compreender as condicionantes para o progressivo surgimento das situações de crise e para a identificação de territórios mais vulneráveis aos riscos. O objetivo deste artigo é demonstrar em que medida a fragilidade ambiental e a vulnerabilidade social se combinam na susceptibilidade aos riscos. Visa-se, portanto, apresentar a eficácia das referidas abordagens investigativas mediante procedimentos e técnicas aplicadas à definição da susceptibilidade aos riscos em ambientes urbanos. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam que por meio da compreensão das relações entre a fragilidade ambiental e a vulnerabilidade social faz-se possível a identificação de territórios mais vulneráveis aos riscos.

AbstractWith global environmental crisis, the intensification of inadequate occupation of the most fragile environments, the precariousness of socioeconomic conditions of vulnerable social groups and the perception of occurrence intensification of natural disasters pointed out questions related to vulnerabilities and risks in our contemporary society. The growing of crises, in association with the number of victims and damages, has generated the need to comprehend the conditions to the emergence of crisis and to the identification of territories most vulnerable to risks. The objective of this manuscript is demonstrate how the environmental fragility and social vulnerability are combined on susceptibility to risks. It aims to show the efficiency of the investigative approaches through procedures and techniques applied to definition of susceptibility to risks in urban environments. Results pointed out that through the comprehension of relations between environmental fragility and social vulnerability if possible to identify the most vulnerable territories to risk.

RésuméL’éclosion de la crise mondiale de l’environnement, l’intensification de l’occupation illégale des environnements les plus fragiles, les conditions socio-économiques précaires des groupes sociaux les plus vulnérables et l’intensification perçue des catastrophes naturelles ont fait que les questions relatives aux vulnérabilités et aux risques prennent un rôle important dans la société contemporaine. Le déclenchement croissant des situations de crise, allié à l’augmentation du nombre de personnes touchées et aux pertes associées, a fait apparaître la nécessité de comprendre les conditions qui ont mené à l’émergence progressive de situations de crise et d’identifier les zones les plus vulnérables aux risques. Le but de cet article est de démontrer dans quelle mesure la combinaison de la fragilité de l’environnement et de la vulnérabilité sociale est associée à la susceptibilité aux risques. L’objectif est donc de présenter l’efficacité de ces approches d’investigation par les procédures et les techniques appliquées à la définition de la sensibilité aux risques dans les milieux urbains. Les résultats montrent que à partir de la compréhension de la relation entre la fragilité de l’environnement et la vulnérabilité sociale, il est possible d’identifier les zones les plus vulnérables aux risques.